Something More
by Kamiyashi
Summary: After Kaiba and Yuugi transfer to Ouran Academy, it means interesting things for Yami. Rivalry evolves into friendship and then…Prideshipping: KxYY/YYxK
1. Chapter 01: Arriving

**Title: **_Something More_

**Summary: **After Kaiba and Yuugi transfer to Ouran Academy, it means interesting things for Yami. Rivalry evolves into friendship and then…

**Pairing:** Kaiba x Yami, Yami x Kaiba

**Rating**: M for graphic lemons, sexual content, and mature language.

**Disclaimer:** _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ and _Ouran High School Host Club _do not and never will belong to me.

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><p><strong>AN:** Please note that **first and foremost this is a Yu-Gi-Oh story**. Yes, it will largely take place at Ouran, but the **emphasis is entirely on Kaiba and Yami's relationship dynamic.** If you're hoping for extensive interactions between the Ouran and YGO characters, this isn't the fic for you. However, if you're **here for the Prideshipping**, then you will definitely want to stick around because this is going to be a fun one. You don't need to have any familiarity with the Ouran series beyond it takes place at a school for rich students and there is a Host Club involved.

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><p><strong>Chapter 01: Arriving <strong>

Yuugi fidgeted nervously in the backseat of the limo as he stared out the window. _"What if I've made a big mistake in agreeing to come here?"_ he asked Yami once again.

Assuming his spectral form in order to sit next to Yuugi, Yami reassured him, _"You haven't. Anzu is right—this will be an incredible opportunity for you, aibou."_

"_I'm just…what if I don't fit in? I'm not like them, so—"_

Gently cutting off Yuugi's fears, Yami confidently said, _"I'm sure it'll be fine. You'll probably make lots of new friends."_

"_Maybe,"_ Yuugi agreed, although he didn't quite sound like he believed Yami.

Trying to find other ways to convince Yuugi, Yami said, _"Besides, it's not like you're alone. I'm here and Kaiba will also be attending. And we won't be so far away from home that we can't visit, right?"_

"_I guess,"_ Yuugi finally said, _"although I doubt that Kaiba-kun will have much to do with me_._"_

As much as Yami wanted to protest that statement, he knew that Yuugi was most likely right. Trying to find a bright side, Yami pointed out, _"At least you'll have someone to duel against."_

Yuugi had to shield his amusement because if Kaiba were going to duel against anyone, it wouldn't be him. Kaiba was only interested in challenging Yami and Yuugi belatedly realized that he had never actually had a proper, complete duel with him; the time he had taken over at the end of Duelist Kingdom on top of Pegasus' castle didn't really count. _"Sure,"_ Yuugi said with a giggle that confused Yami.

"_What?"_ Yami asked, completely puzzled by Yuugi's mirth.

When Yuugi realized that Yami was actually clueless, it made him start to laugh even harder. _"Mou hitori no boku, he's only interested in you,"_ Yuugi explained, failing miserably at containing his amusement.

"_That's not true!"_ Yami denied, although he was hard pressed to find any evidence to support his claim. _"He's just…"_

"_Obsessed with you?"_ Yuugi finished the sentence, amazed when he felt Yami's embarrassment through their connection. _"At least now you'll have the chance to have him all to yourself."_

Yami sounded almost indignant as he demanded, _"Aibou, what exactly are you implying?"_

Yuugi wasn't quite as innocent as most people thought and he had seen enough stray images of Kaiba from Yami to know that his other half was equally obsessed with his rival. _"Nothing,"_ Yuugi replied, although he doubted Yami would buy that. _"I'm just saying that maybe he'll start to see you as more than just a rival now that he has the chance to spend some more time around you."_

"_Aibou, we've been over this,"_ Yami said sternly. _"I'm not going to switch places with you here unless it's absolutely necessary."_ It was one thing to do so when they were around their friends who accepted their unique situation, but Yami didn't want Yuugi to be misjudged by the other students at their new school.

Yuugi understood why Yami was being so insistent about that, but he worried about what being cooped up for too long in the Millennium Puzzle would do to the ancient spirit. He may have resided in it for over three thousand years, but now he knew what it was like to be outside of it and Yuugi didn't want to imprison him again. _"Yeah, but Kaiba-kun is different,"_ Yuugi argued. _"He already knows you exist, so what's the harm in switching for the occasional duel?"_

"_He knows I exist, but he'll never admit it,"_ Yami told Yuugi, trying not to feel the twinge of pain that statement caused him to experience. It wasn't like he sought Kaiba's approval or anything, but he hated how steadfastly opposed the other teen was to his existence. However, now wasn't really the time to be concerned with such things. _"It shouldn't be too much longer before we get there, right?"_

Realizing that Yami was trying to change the topic away from Kaiba, Yuugi went along with the non sequitur. _"I think so. Ah, I'm so nervous! I can't believe that there's going to be a banquet in our honor tonight!"_

"_That does seem a little strange,"_ Yami agreed, _"but it just shows you how eager everyone is to meet you."_

Yuugi made a noncommittal noise at the statement, but he said nothing else as he returned to his thoughts. Ever since he found out about the grand prize he had won in his last Duel Monsters tournament, Yuugi had vacillated between dread and excitement. At first Yuugi had been adamantly opposed to accepting the scholarship to Ouran Academy that he had won as a prize, but Anzu had pleaded with him to reconsider.

Domino High School's reputation was far from prestigious and he couldn't always rely on prize money to get him through life. Even though he intended on taking over his grandfather's store when he retired, Yuugi had to admit that a chance at a good education could secure both him and his Jii-chan a better future. If he attended Ouran Academy, it would present him with opportunities that he might not have otherwise had. There was no way he'd ever be able to afford to go to the private school if it weren't for the fully paid scholarship that had been the prize at the last tournament and eventually Yuugi saw the truth in Anzu's words.

Thus Yuugi had accepted it with the blessing of all of his friends who promised to visit and keep in touch. Still, Yuugi worried about the distance and secretly feared that the group would continue to bond without him. The thought of losing his only friends scared him, but once again, Anzu proved to be the voice of reason when she pointed out that they would all probably end up at different colleges and be forced to separate eventually anyway.

Still, Yuugi knew that the majority of people who attended Ouran were really rich and that made him nervous. Even though he knew that Kaiba, Mokuba, and Otogi all were wealthy, they didn't act like most people with lots of money did. He was really worried about getting picked on for being poorer than everyone else, but he saw on the website that there were scholarships for intelligent, but underprivileged students.

"_I wonder why Kaiba-kun agreed to go?"_ Yuugi asked Yami. _"It's not like he needs the school or anything and he left Mokuba-kun enrolled at Domino City Middle School, so that doesn't make sense."_

"_I'm sure he has his reasons,"_ Yami said with a shrug. Kaiba wasn't one to act unless he had a reason to do so, after all.

Nodding in agreement, Yuugi's mind once again switched focus. _"I bet their uniforms are nicer than ours."_

"_Probably,"_ Yami commented, pleased when he felt Yuugi's enthusiasm and curiosity over ridding his previous reservations.

The pair made idle conversation for the remainder of the trip and their driver finally announced their approach to the school. Yuugi's eyes went wide when he saw the main building as they drove through the gates and he exclaimed, _"That's not a school! That's a castle!"_

Laughing at his aibou's observations, Yami disappeared back into the Millennium Puzzle. Even Yami had to admit that the sight inspired awe because of the impressive grandeur of the campus and architecture.

"_How am I ever going to remember how to get around?"_ Yuugi bemoaned to Yami as he realized just how expansive Ouran Academy's campus really was.

"_You'll learn,"_ Yami reassured him, although from the looks of things, it was going to require getting lost a couple of times before Yuugi figure out his way around campus.

"_What have I gotten myself into?"_ Yuugi groaned, already starting to become overwhelmed by it all. _"I feel like I'm back in Kaiba-kun's virtual world!"_

Chuckling at Yuugi's last statement, Yami tried to let his feelings reach his aibou in an attempt to calm him. Having minimal success, Yami continued to listen as Yuugi rambled something about Princess Adena before they finally reached the dorm that would be home for the next year.

The driver opened the car door to escort Yuugi out of the car and informed him, "I will bring your things to your room, Mutou-sama."

"_Mutou-sama?"_ Yuugi repeated in disbelief to Yami. To the driver he simply said, "Thank you. I appreciate it!"

Resisting his instinct to help unload the car, Yuugi turned his attention to the boy who was approaching him with a broad smile. _"We have to be in Kaiba-kun's virtual world because people in real life aren't that…aren't that _pretty_,"_ Yuugi commented, setting off on another snickering fit. _"Hey! Don't laugh at me!"_

"_Sorry, aibou,"_ Yami apologized, although he understood where Yuugi was coming from about the approaching teen. The blonde was incredibly attractive and there was something charismatic about him that just naturally drew a person to him.

Oblivious to all of the internal conflict within Yuugi, Tamaki held his arms akimbo as he happily announced, "Welcome to Ouran Academy!"

"Thank you," Yuugi said shyly, unsure of what to do next.

"I'm Suou Tamaki and I wanted to personally greet you, Mutou Yuugi," Tamaki said with a small bow.

Wondering if all the students were going to be like this, Yuugi told him, "You can call me Yuugi, Suou-san."

"Then please call me Tamaki-senpai," he replied with another brilliant smile. "Shall I show you to your room?"

Blushing slightly, Yuugi nodded as he agreed, "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, Tamaki-senpai."

"Not at all!" Tamaki assured him as he led the way. "I'm glad that I go to be the first to meet you!"

"Really?" Yuugi asked in disbelief.

Nodding emphatically, Tamaki explained, "Your duel was incredible! It was my first time seeing one! Haruhi assured me that it was a very popular form of entertainment amongst the commoners and now I see why. It's an amazingly fantastic event! I wonder if Kyouya would let us do a Duel Monsters duel for our club one day…?"

Ignoring the weird comment about commoners, Yuugi asked, "Club?"

Stopping mid-stride with an excited noise, Tamaki turned to face Yuugi with a serious expression as he sized up the smaller boy. "Hm, I think you would work well in our club," Tamaki commented as he rested his chin on his hand while he continued studying Yuugi. His serious mood was quickly replaced by an enthusiastic glee that made Yuugi wonder if the older teen was all there in some respects. "Yes, as the president and king of the Host Club, I personally extend an invitation to you to join us!"

Blinking several times in shock, Yuugi finally managed to repeat, "A…_host _club?"

Tamaki launched into a long-winded explanation of the Host Club as they entered the dorms. While it still sounded odd, it also seemed like an opportunity to meet lots of new people and make some friends while having fun and Yuugi was tempted by the offer. _"What do you think, mou hitori no boku?"_

Given the reputation of the school, Yami doubted that the conduct would be improper and it probably would be a good idea to meet new people. _"It sounds harmless enough,"_ Yami told him.

_Well, if I don't like it, I can always leave_, Yuugi reasoned with himself. "I think I would like that very much Tamaki-senpai," Yuugi accepted with a pleased smile.

Tamaki cheered before saying, "We can talk about it more tonight at the celebration. But first, this is your room!"

Accepting the key, Yuugi unlocked the door and was immediately floored by the size of the space. He was left speechless as Tamaki continued to show him around the enormous room. "This closet is bigger than my bedroom at home!" Yuugi exclaimed in awe, a bit intimidated by the enormity of it all.

"Do you live in an apartment?" Tamaki asked excitedly.

"No," Yuugi answered, confused by the fact that answer caused Tamaki to look crestfallen. "I live in a small house with my Jii-chan over our game shop."

Instantly lighting up again, Tamaki exclaimed, "That sounds wonderful!"

"When do I meet my roommate?" Yuugi asked as Tamaki's tour concluded.

"Roommate?" Tamaki questioned, tilting his head slightly as he regarded Yuugi.

Gesturing for emphasis, Yuugi said, "This can't just be for one person, right? I mean, my whole house isn't this big!"

"No, this is a single," Tamaki told him with a shrug.

"But that's just…_wow_," Yuugi trailed off, not wanting to embarrass himself in front of Tamaki. "Uh, thank you."

Waving it away, Tamaki realized what time it was. "The banquet starts at seven, but you'll probably want to get there a little early. Someone will be by to pick you and Kaiba Seto up, so please be ready by about 6.30, okay?"

"Kaiba-kun?" Yuugi asked in surprise.

"Yes, both of you will be guests of honor at the Host Club even tonight," Tamaki explained. "It will be Duel Monsters themed, so please look forward to it!"

"That sounds awesome, thank you!" Yuugi replied as he started to get excited by the idea. "Is there a dress code?"

"Your school uniform will be fine," Tamaki said with a winning smile. "I look forward to seeing you there!"

"Thanks," Yuugi said before they exchanged final greeting and Tamaki left to take care of the final preparations.

Yami once again projected his astral form as Yuugi continued to stare around the dorm room in awe. "_See, they're glad you're here, aibou_," Yami reassured him. "_Everything will be fine._"

"_I hope so_," Yuugi replied, still feeling nervous about it all. "_Man, this place is huge!_"

Yami watched in amusement as Yuugi explored his new dorm, which had a bedroom, office, walk in closet, and a little kitchen area off of the large living room. Even he was impressed by the luxury and grandeur of the apartment style dorm room. They chatted while Yuugi started to unpack and settle in before getting ready for the party later that night.

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><p><strong>AN:** And so starts a new story! Well, I've technically been working on this one since 2008 when I first had the idea, so talk about long percolating thoughts. Like I always say, sometimes it may take me awhile to get around to an idea, but there's always something on the backburner. Or the way backburner in this case.

It's so exciting, my first crossover~. I have big plans for this story and it's currently plotted to about 75 chapters, so we're in it for the long haul. To all of you who are willing to take this journey with me, I truly thank you. This may be my favorite version of Kaiba and Yami I've ever written and after the third chapter...well, let's just say it's going to be a fun ride for us all.

**NEXT CHAPTER:**

"_So that's your way of saying I need to get used to the idea of wearing a dress?" Yuugi questioned with wide eyes while trying to ignore Yami's amusement at the idea._

The next chapter will be posted on **Sunday, January 11th**, so please look forward to it! Until then, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this one!


	2. Chapter 02: Celebrating

**Chapter 02: Celebrating**

To say that the welcoming party overwhelmed Yuugi was an understatement. He hadn't expected so many people to be there and his head was spinning from meeting everyone at once. He was a bit relieved that everyone seemed really nice so far, but it was still a lot to take in all at once. Yuugi thought the Duel Monsters theme was really cool and he was becoming a lot more confident in his decision to join the Host Club when he saw how enthusiastically they were cosplaying various Duel Monsters characters.

He was distracted from his thoughts when someone dressed as the Dark Magician approached him. "Hi, I'm Fuijoka Haruhi," she introduced herself with a bright smile that immediately put Yuugi at ease.

"I guess you already know I'm Yuugi," he said with a laugh as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Your costume is amazing!"

"Thanks," Haruhi replied, relieved that she had been able to wear that costume in particular, even if it was a little awkward sitting in it. "They wanted me to be the Dark Magician Girl, but they finally relented and let me do this."

"Isn't that kind of weird?" Yuugi asked in confusion.

"Sadly, no," Haruhi said with a laugh. "Let's just say that the Host Club isn't exactly bound by strict gender binaries."

"So that's your way of saying I need to get used to the idea of wearing a dress?" Yuugi questioned with wide eyes while trying to ignore Yami's amusement at the idea.

"Not necessarily," Haruhi reassured him. "You only have to do what you're comfortable with. Although Tamaki-senpai may put up some resistance, he usually will give in. Eventually."

"That's good, because I can't imagine Kaiba-kun ever dressing up as a girl," Yuugi joked, causing Yami to laugh riotously inside his mind.

When Yami realized he was distracting Yuugi, he apologized and tried to reign in his amusement. Every time he managed to get in control, an image of Kaiba in a dress would pop into his mind again and Yami would start laughing all over again. It caused his attention to drift over to Kaiba while Yuugi continued talking to Haruhi and Yami watched as his rival politely talked to a group of girls that had surrounded him. Yami could easily tell Kaiba was in his business mode as he dealt with their attention and he could only wonder what they were discussing. It almost made him wish they were closer so that he could eavesdrop. Like Yuugi, Yami was deeply curious as to why Kaiba had left Mokuba in Domino City to come alone to Ouran. There had to be a reason, but it was a complete mystery to him.

Yami was pulled from his thoughts when he realized Yuugi was walking toward Kaiba and he asked, "_Aibou?_"

"_It's obvious you want to talk to him_," Yuugi told him in amusement as he continued weaving around people.

Rather than denying it, Yami wondered, "_What happened to…whoever you were just talking to?_"

"_Haruhi-kun got called away_," Yuugi informed him, not the least bit surprised that Yami hadn't noticed.

"_I'm not switching places with you here_," Yami insisted, not wanting to embarrass Yuugi.

"_Oh, it's fine. No one will even notice_," Yuugi promised.

"_No_," Yami stubbornly refused, not willing to jeopardize Yuugi's first impression at Ouran.

Mentally sighing, Yuugi conceded, "_Fine, but I'm still talking to Kaiba-kun anyway._"

Before Yami could protest, Yuugi brightly greeted Kaiba, "Hi, Kaiba-kun!"

"Hello," Kaiba civilly returned as he watched the gathering around him thin out to give them the illusion of privacy at such a large party.

"Are you having a good time?" Yuugi asked, realizing too late that he probably should have thought of a conversation to have with Kaiba before approaching him.

"It's not exactly my ideal way of spending an evening," Kaiba commented with a bored look.

"I think it's cool that they did a Duel Monsters theme for us," Yuugi continued, trying to draw Kaiba into a conversation. "I'm really surprised that you agreed to join the Host Club, though. It doesn't really seem like something that would interest you."

"It has its uses," Kaiba cynically stated, causing Yuugi to frown.

"I guess that's good," Yuugi uncertainly replied, still struggling with what else he could say to stay in Kaiba's presence. He could feel Yami aching to ask why Kaiba was there, but Yuugi decided if he wanted to know so badly, he would have to switch places and ask himself. "Maybe we could duel some time?"

"Your time would be better spent on studying," Kaiba told him, causing Yami to feel a flare of indignation at the brush off from him. "It's not going to be like it was at Domino."

"I know, but we can still duel," Yuugi insisted, even though Kaiba had touched on one of his biggest fears about going to Ouran Academy. Yuugi knew he wasn't a strong student and the standard at Ouran was far higher than at Domino. However, his friends had helped convince him he could do it, so he was holding onto that to keep him going. "I doubt many people here know how to play."

Kaiba shrugged with a non-committal, "We'll see," and Yuugi could easily tell he was being dismissed.

"I hope you enjoy the rest of the party," Yuugi told him and tried not to wince at the level of Yami's outrage over the way the conversation was ending.

"Thanks," Kaiba replied and Yuugi took that as his cue to leave.

As soon as Yuugi started to walk away, Yami demanded, "_Why would you let him treat you like that?_"

Trying to soothe Yami's ire, Yami defended Kaiba, "_It's not like he was rude or anything. He was actually pretty nice by his standards."_

"_He still should have agreed to a duel_," Yami muttered, feeling cross over being denied the chance to face off against his best rival.

"_I don't think now is really the best time to ask_," Yuugi pointed out to Yami. "_There's enough going on as it is with the party."_

"_You're being too nice about it," _Yami complained. "_Doesn't it annoy you that he doesn't want to duel with you?"_

Mentally chuckling at Yami's reaction, Yuugi reminded him, "_He never wants to duel with me, mou hitori no boku_. _He's only interested in facing off against you._"

"_It's not right_," Yami complained since he couldn't disagree with it. "_You're a strong duelist in your own right!"_

Before Yuugi could reply, he was approached by some girls who wanted to introduce themselves . Yami retreated into the depths of Yuugi's mind, but he still couldn't stop himself from watching Kaiba whenever he came into view. As much as Yami hated to admit, he was annoyed because on some level it felt like Kaiba was rejecting him personally by refusing to duel. It was the only time Yami got any recognition from his rival and he never felt as alive as he did when he battled with Kaiba. He had a feeling his days at Ouran would be very boring without the company of their friends to distract him while Yuugi dedicated himself to studying. He always looked forward to dueling Kaiba and it was his only legitimate reason to switch places with Yuugi when they were at Ouran. Yami was putting up a brave front, but he worried about what being trapped inside the Millennium Puzzle for so long would do to him.

Realizing he was starting to think about things best left for when Yuugi was asleep and unaware, Yami retreated into the Millennium Puzzle for the rest of the party.

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><p><strong>AN:** I'm so thankful for all of the positive feedback I received on this new story! I can't wait to share the rest of this story with all of you! Especially starting with what comes next…

And as a random footnote, it was never outright stated that there weren't dorms at Ouran, so I'm taking a bit of liberty there for the sake of convenience. I figure there would have to be people from all over the country that would want to go to that school and since the dorms would be just as luxurious as the school, it made sense to me that people would choose that option over a "mere" apartment.

**NEXT CHAPTER:**

_Eventually Kaiba could make out the dim outline of Yuugi on the floor next to another person, but that didn't make sense._

The next chapter is a really long and fun one, so please look forward to it! It was actually the first thing I wrote on this story. And now I'll finally get to share it with everyone! I will be posting the next chapter on **Sunday, January 18th**, but in the meantime I am eager to hear your thoughts on the latest chapter!


	3. Chapter 03: Where It Begins

**Chapter 03: Where It Begins**

It had been over two weeks since the party and Yuugi was starting to get settled into his life at Ouran. He still felt a little shy and akward during Host Club, but it was getting a little easier each time. They were starting to wind down the Host Club activities for the day when the sound of a door creaking open startled Yuugi and he made a small noise of surprise as he looked to the source of it. "Has that door always been there?" he asked quietly, feeling rather foolish for asking such a silly question.

"Ah, I had the same reaction the first time," Haruhi reassured Yuugi with a smile. "It's just Nekozawa-senpai."

"Nekozawa-senpai?" Yuugi repeated, the name awkwardly rolling off of his tongue. "Is he another member of the Host Club?"

The twins abruptly started laughing hysterically and Yuugi looked over at them to try and judge the situation; it was so hard to tell when they were laughing at him or because of him. "Nekozawa-senpai as a member of the Host Club? Ahh, that's hilarious!" they crowed, wiping the mirth away from their eyes as they saw the person in question cowering on the edge of the shadows. "No, he's the president of the Black Magic Club."

"Black Magic Club?" Kaiba repeated in disdain, glancing over at the cloaked figure with barely veiled disgust. "More occult nonsense?"

"It is not nonsense!" Nekozawa protested through Belzeneff, clutching the clasp of his cloak tightly in anger.

Raising an eyebrow at the older boy, Kaiba retorted, "This coming from someone who talks through a hand puppet? Ridiculous!"

The twins started laughing even harder and Tamaki finally had to step in before something drastic happened because of the new transfer students. "Seto! Don't antagonize him!" Tamaki told him in a hushed whisper, causing Kaiba to look at him coolly. "You don't know what he's capable of!"

"And yet I know what he's incapable of, imagine that," Kaiba said sarcastically, smirking when he saw Nekozawa take a step back into the embrace of his darkness.

"Shh! Don't make him angry! He's got incredible powers that—Yuugi, where are you going?" Tamaki interrupted himself when he saw the small boy walking toward Nekozawa.

_Does that idiot not have any self-preservation instincts?_ Kaiba wondered not for the first time. "Yuugi, don't waste your time," he called out, although for some reason he was suddenly feeling anxious without understanding why.

Smiling up brightly at the stranger, Yuugi started to introduce himself, but Nekozawa beat him to it with a hushed, "I know who you are."

"You do?" Yuugi asked, tilting his head as he looked a Nekozawa.

"There is much darkness in you," Nekozawa stated with an ominous chuckle before correcting himself, "or rather contained within you."

"_Could he possibly sense you?"_ Yuugi asked Yami through their connection, suddenly worried about those words.

"_I don't think so, aibou,"_ Yami reassured him. _"I don't sense any real power from him."_

Realizing that he hadn't replied yet, Yuugi repeated, "Contained within me?"

Looking pointedly at Yuugi's chest and gesturing with Belzeneff, Nekozawa cryptically answered, "That necklace holds a great power."

Tamaki broke the moment with a high-pitched noise of fright and he instantly ran over to Kyouya to seek protection. Kaiba rolled his eyes at the theatrics and watched the unfolding events with a bored disinterest; he had better things he could be doing and yet he was still wasting his time with such pointless things. Sometimes he wondered why he had even bothered coming to this school in the first place.

Yuugi clutched the Millennium Puzzle reflexively, his gaze shifting between the hand puppet and Nekozawa. "What makes you say that?" Yuugi asked, trying to sound more curious than apprehensive.

"It houses a very ancient magic," Nekozawa explained, "one that was born from a great and powerful darkness. If you come inside we could talk about this further."

Something made Yuugi hesitate, but Yami's curiosity was getting the better of him. _"Maybe he knows something?"_ Yami wondered, regarding Nekozawa from behind Yuugi's eyes. _"I don't think he means us any harm, aibou."_

"Okay," Yuugi finally agreed, following Nekozawa into the pitch black room.

"Seto! You have to stop him!" Tamaki told the other teen, knowing that if Yuugi was going to listen to anyone, it would be the authoritative CEO.

Running his hand through his hair in irritation, Kaiba smoothly said, "I don't have to do anything. He is not my problem."

"Of course he's not your problem! He's your friend!" Tamaki argued, not sensing the darkening of Kaiba's mood at those words.

"I am not his keeper," Kaiba dismissively stated.

Before Tamaki could protest Kaiba's terrible attitude, everyone froze when they heard Yuugi scream from inside of Nekozawa's room. All thoughts of the argument were forgotten as Kaiba found himself storming into the room with the rest of the Host Club right on his heels. They blinked to accustom themselves to the darkness that was barely lightened by the presence of flickering candles and Kaiba could just make out Yuugi standing in the middle of the room. "Yuugi!" Kaiba called out to him, the single word laced with reprimand.

"Kaiba-kun, it hurts," Yuugi whimpered, causing Tamaki to start freaking out at whatever mystical thing was happening.

Moving quicker than he thought possible, Kaiba grabbed Nekozawa by his cloak and demanded, "What the hell did you do to him?"

"I didn't do anything," Nekozawa insisted as he struggled to pull free from Kaiba. "He froze when he stepped onto my summoning circle. I don't know why!"

Refusing to release the cowering teen, Kaiba could barely make out the faint outline of an intricate symbol on the floor that seemed to be glowing. "What the hell is that?" Kaiba angrily asked.

"I was practicing my summoning techniques earlier," Nekozawa hurriedly explained, although it wasn't good enough for Kaiba.

Before Kaiba could demand more answers, Yuugi cried out again as his body jerked and the golden light grew brighter around him. Nekozawa instinctively took a step back from the bright light that was invading his darkness and Kaiba yanked him forward to prevent him from getting away. "Make it stop," Kaiba commanded, finally relinquishing his grip on Nekozawa.

"I—I don't know how," Nekozawa whispered, the ears of Belzeneff drooping a little at the admission.

Sick of the incompetence, Kaiba decided to solve the problem himself by pulling Yuugi free from the circle, but he was sent flying back into a wall by a barrier that flashed white at the intrusion. "What the hell is going on?" Kaiba yelled as he stood up, refusing to believe that he had been forcibly repelled. The rest of the Host Club members were rapidly talking over their options, but Kaiba ignored them as he focused on Yuugi's pained expression. It stirred something within him that he didn't understand and he would be lying if he said the pulsating light separating them didn't scare him. "Yuugi!"

The pain was intense and Yuugi could feel it running through every part of him, ghosting over his flesh and entering his body with every breath he took. He continued fighting against it, barely aware of the voices that were starting to become louder just beyond the circle. It wasn't until Kaiba's presence was felt that Yuugi started to come back to himself and he started to panic when he saw him thrown against the wall by the light. He wanted to call out to Kaiba, to ask if he was okay, but Yuugi couldn't move, couldn't do anything other than suffer through the searing pain.

"_Aibou, please let me take over,"_ Yami pleaded, unwilling to let Yuugi suffer in such a way when there was something that he could do to prevent it. _"I can use my powers to break this, so—"_

"_No,"_ Yuugi refused, although he wasn't sure why he was so adamantly opposed to Yami taking over to handle the situation. Something was definitely wrong with the situation and Yuugi was starting to become more afraid the longer it continued.

If Yuugi could have fallen to his knees, he would have as the next wave of pain crashed into him. He could barely manage to gasp in agony as the light once again pulsed and wrapped around his body, caressing him in a painful embrace that he tried to struggle against.

Even though Yami always abided by his aibou's wishes, he couldn't continue to watch helplessly when there was something he could do. Sending a wordless apology to his aibou, Yami forced himself into Yuugi's body in order to handle the problem. He had been completely unprepared for the searing pain and he gritted his teeth against it as he felt the power responding to his presence.

Suddenly the room exploded into light, the golden brightness flaring in a burst that had everyone crying out in pain as they were momentarily blinded. When it finally receded, Kaiba tried desperately to blink away the blindness as he heard Yuugi exclaiming over and over again, "Mou hitori no boku! No, mou hitori no boku!"

Eventually Kaiba could make out the dim outline of Yuugi on the floor next to another person, but that didn't make sense. "Will someone turn on a fucking light?" Kaiba snapped, thoroughly sick of the darkness.

The twins looked at each other and shrugged before finding the nearest light switch and flicking it into the on position. No one even noticed the way that Nekozawa was screaming because they were too stunned by the sight that finally greeted them when the darkness was dispelled. Lying in the center of the circle was a naked boy with an uncanny resemblance to Yuugi and Kaiba felt his heart start to pound as the world slowed down a little. "No," he whispered to no one in particular, "it's not possible. It's just not possible…"

"Kyouya, are there two Yuugis?" Tamaki asked quietly, confirming for them all that they were in fact seeing the same thing.

"Apparently," Kyouya answered dryly, catching his friend when he fainted from shock.

Yuugi was frantically shoving Yami's new body in the hopes that he would wake up, but nothing was working. No matter how many times he yelled, "Mou hitori no boku," Yami wasn't stirring and it was scaring Yuugi to the point of desperation. He couldn't feel Yami's presence in the Millennium Puzzle anymore and his world was suddenly much colder because of it.

Kaiba's feet moved him closer to the scene without his consent, bringing him to Yuugi's side as if he intended to help. "Kaiba-kun, he's not—mou hitori no boku, he's not—" Yuugi started to say, but his words continued to fail him in his fright.

He could clearly see the gentle rise and fall of the other's bare chest and Kaiba's fingers numbly started unbuttoning his own jacket. Taking it off and draping it over Yami's slender form, Kaiba felt for a pulse and found it, although it was faint and fluttering wildly. "Yuugi," Kaiba called, demanding his attention. It was only when he had Yuugi's watery violet gaze on him that Kaiba proceeded with what needed to be said. His mind was on auto-pilot in order to handle such a weird situation and there was no time to think of anything other than solutions; questions could wait. "Find out what happened."

"Kaiba-kun, what are you going to do?" Yuugi asked with a sniffle, glancing over at Yami's still unconscious body. He was touched by the fact that Kaiba had thoughtfully used his own jacket to preserve Yami's modesty, but Yuugi knew better than to say anything about it.

Treating Yami as if he were the most delicate thing he had ever handled, Kaiba picked up the light body and was careful to make sure that the jacket continued to cover him. "I'll take him to my room," Kaiba said, "but in the meantime get some answers about what happened."

Before Yuugi could protest, Kyouya spoke up, "Might I suggest taking him to the nurse instead? They would have better facilities to—"

"You handle your problems," Kaiba snapped as he eyed Tamaki's slumped over body, "and I'll deal with mine."

"Of course," Kyouya replied with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Although I'm sure Mori-senpai would be better suited to carrying him."

Possessively clutching Yami closer to his chest, Kaiba refused with a curt, "I'm more than capable, thanks."

Heading toward the door as he carried Yami bridal style, Kaiba nodded his appreciation at Haruhi as she helped him with the doors. Once they were out of earshot, she volunteered, "If you would like me to follow you to the dorms…"

"That won't be necessary," Kaiba told her, although his voice lacked the harshness he had addressed Kyouya with earlier. As an afterthought, Kaiba decided to add, "Keep an eye on Yuugi."

Hiding her smile, Haruhi said, "I'll take care of him," which Kaiba took as his cue to leave. She watched him walk away, secretly amused by Kaiba's demeanor. As much as he claimed not to care about Yuugi, it was obvious that he considered the other to be a friend. It wasn't surprising that Kaiba didn't get along with Kyouya, but those were thoughts that could wait for another time. She could hear Tamaki coming to in the other room and exclaiming something loudly, so she hurried back to where she was needed.

* * *

><p>Placing Yami's body on his bed with a grunt, Kaiba straightened up and heard several of his bones popping in response. Yami should not have existed and yet Kaiba had seen with his own eyes as the other Yuugi materialized in front of all of them. It was hard to deny that Yami was real; the sheer weight of carrying him half way across campus ruled that out as an option.<p>

Sitting on the edge of the bed with a heavy sigh, Kaiba brushed one of Yami's golden bangs from his face as he studied him intently. He seemed to be taller than Yuugi and his skin tone was several shades darker as well, but any observations that went beyond the surface would have to wait for whenever he finally awoke. Could he really be the spirit that Yuugi claimed dueled against Kaiba all of those times?

Shifting slightly to try and get comfortable, Kaiba continued looking down at the person who was now occupying his bed. Unable to resist, Kaiba reached out and lightly traced Yami's jaw with his fingers, following an invisible path along his neck until he came to rest on the pulse point. The body was lifeless and yet there was still a pulse that was slowly becoming steadier as time went by, there was still a warmth that was reassuring when it had no reason to be. Kaiba had enough things to worry about without adding questions about the feelings the sudden appearance of Yami brought out in him.

The longer Kaiba looked at Yami, the more he felt like he was falling under a trance and that was unacceptable. He forced his sore body to get up off the bed in order to get something else to cover Yami up with and he finally settled on some sleepwear. It would be too long, but it was better than nothing, Kaiba decided. Of course the real problem was that he had to put it on Yami himself and that was more than a little awkward for Kaiba. He wasn't used to such closer interactions with another and there was something oddly intimate about dressing Yami in such a manner.

Carefully adverting his eyes, Kaiba slowly worked the pants up Yami's legs, awkwardly lifting the former spirit's hips in order to slide them on all the way. A soft moan from Yami distracted Kaiba and he turned away with a slight blush, annoyed with his own reaction. It made him less inclined to try and fight with Yami to get a shirt on him, so Kaiba's school uniform jacket was just going to have to suffice as a blanket for the time being.

Getting up from the bed, Kaiba grabbed some of his casual clothes to take into the bathroom to change into; he still felt gross from hauling Yami's listless body all the way over to the dorms. Apparently Kaiba wasn't as in shape as he had previously thought and he debated about whether or not to take a shower first to rid himself of the sweat that had already dried.

Deciding that it wouldn't hurt to take a fast and cold shower, Kaiba did exactly that, hurriedly washing his hair while he was at it. When he emerged from the shower, he shivered as the air brushed against his skin and he quickly started to put on his pants. Before he could start with his shirt, he heard a loud _thud_ from his bedroom and he rushed out of the bathroom to see what had happened. Yami had collapsed in a heap next to the bed and Kaiba walked over to him with a curious look, completely forgetting about his lack of proper attire. "Yuugi," he said firmly, causing Yami's head to snap up in order to stare at Kaiba.

"Where is he?" Yami demanded hoarsely, his voice raw from disuse. "Where's aibou?" He tried to stand up, but once again his muscles gave out on him and he remained on the floor.

_Atrophy,_ Kaiba mentally noted, taking pity on Yami long enough to pick him up and put him back on the bed. Having forgotten about not putting on his shirt, the contact of warm skin on skin shocked Kaiba and he inhaled sharply as he dropped Yami gracelessly on the bed. It prevented him from answering right away and it wasn't until Yami started struggling to move toward the edge of the bed again that Kaiba regained his senses. "Stop," he commanded, blocking Yami's path.

"I need to find aibou," Yami told him, focusing all of his energy on that single goal. He willed his body to cooperate, but he felt so sluggish and disconnected that he couldn't fight against Kaiba's firm grip. "I can't feel him! What happened to him? Aibou!"

"He's safe," Kaiba told him, hoping that would stop the resistance he was encountering from Yami. It wasn't hard to restrain Yami, but trying to do so while maintaining the least amount of physical contact was a little difficult. "He's just trying to get answers about what happened."

"What happened?" Yami repeated, his voice still sounding rough.

Frowning, Kaiba wondered whether it was okay to let go of Yami yet. His wrists felt so small and fragile in Kaiba's large hands and it made him incredibly self-conscious. "I don't know," Kaiba answered honestly, his mind reeling from how surreal it was to talk to Yami when he knew that Yuugi was elsewhere on campus. "You appeared and I brought you to my room while Yuugi tried to get answers."

"I," Yami started to say, but stopped when the enormity of what had been said hit him. "This…this is my body?"

Finally relinquishing his hold, Kaiba confirmed with a nod, causing Yami to stare up at him in confusion as he asked, "But what about aibou's?"

"Back in the club room," Kaiba told him, remaining unusually patient given the topic.

Yami tried to process this new piece of information, but it was too much to handle at once. "I have a body?" Yami questioned in a small voice, completely floored by the revelation. Yami tentatively ran his hand down his own chest, becoming aware of the difference between his and Yuugi's for the first time. "My own body…?"

Kaiba was unable to speak as he watched Yami's hands explore his own body and he could feel the heat returning to his cheeks. Embarrassed as he was, Kaiba couldn't look away from the display and he tried not to flinch when Yami moved closer to him. When Yami hesitantly placed his hands on Kaiba's chest, it took every ounce of self-control not to lash out at him for his impudence. Any reprimand died on his tongue when Yami looked up at him with wide eyes and whispered, "Kaiba…"

The hands that were slowly exploring his bare chest were completely forgotten as Kaiba saw Yami's eyes for the first time at close range. He had never seen anything so unusual in his entire life and that scarlet gaze looking up at him so pleadingly filled him with a heat that he didn't know how to handle. "Your eyes," Kaiba accidentally whispered in awe, wondering what it would feel like to be stared at by that crimson gaze in the midst of a duel. That thought excited him in a way he couldn't comprehend, but he felt like he was slowly starting to lose his grip on something very important.

"What about them?" Yami asked, a hint of fear coming into his voice. He didn't understand the expression on Kaiba's normally blank face and his fingers finally stilled in their idle tracing.

_They're beautiful_, Kaiba realized with a start, although there was no way he would ever say such a thing out loud. "They're red," Kaiba told him softly, almost as if he were afraid that raising his voice would break whatever spell he was under at the moment.

"Is that bad?"

"No," was all Kaiba could say, never breaking eye contact.

Yami was suddenly curious as to what his overall appearance looked like, but that would have to wait for a time when a mirror was readily available. "Is this really happening?" Yami wondered aloud, fearing that it was some terrible hallucination he had stumbled into in one of the Millennium Puzzle's rooms.

"Somehow," Kaiba responded, although he still had no idea how it was possible. Kaiba was caught completely off-guard when Yami suddenly embraced him and his entire body went tense as a small gasp escaped him at the feeling of so much contact with another. "What are you doing?"

Holding himself closer as he buried his face against Kaiba's neck, Yami said, "Tell me this is real, Kaiba."

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kaiba growled, every muscle poised for a fight that would never come.

"Please," Yami murmured, the voice too close to Kaiba's ear, the lips too close to his neck for him not to react.

A shudder ran through Kaiba at the sensation and it caused Yami to moan softly, further complicating things. Kaiba had never been this close to another person—let alone when they were both half undressed—and it was starting to become too much for him. "Let go," Kaiba tried to order, although it barely came out as more than a whisper. The fact that he couldn't be held captive by those scarlet eyes was a good thing, but he was completely paralyzed by the unfamiliar warmth of another's touch. _Get control of yourself!_ he mentally yelled at himself, but he still didn't move.

"Kaiba," Yami whispered, still too dazed to understand why he wanted to keep holding onto the brunette. The rational part of his mind knew that he was crossing some line, but he stubbornly clung to Kaiba like his life depended on it.

Something inside of him started to react to the way Yami had sighed his name and Kaiba tried to push the form spirit away, but the results were unexpected. The instant Kaiba's hands made contact with Yami's hips, the warmth inside of him started to spread at the reaction the simple touch earned him. Yami's gasp was instantaneous and his body pressed closer against Kaiba's instinctively. Kaiba railed against his body's betrayal as he lightly trailed his fingers up the path of Yami's spine, but the logic went unheeded. Yami's quiet noises and the way his body moved in response were defeating Kaiba in a different kind of battle and he got the feeling that the former spirit was asking for something else when he moaned, "Please."

Before Kaiba could make any further mistakes, they both froze when they heard Yuugi call out, "Kaiba?" The moment was broken and Kaiba roughly jerked back, causing Yami to fall back onto the bed with a discontented groan. _What the hell just happened?_ Kaiba wondered, disappointed and confused by the way he had allowed his self-control to be defeated so easily. And yet his body was already mourning the loss of the warmth and Kaiba became overly aware of the fact that he had become a little aroused. But that couldn't be right! "What?" Kaiba called out harshly, his throat feeling suddenly dry.

"Kaiba-kun, it's me," Yuugi answered, still waiting for permission to enter.

Unable to meet Yami's gaze, Kaiba announced, "I'm back here," and he was somewhat grateful for the disturbance. He couldn't bear to think about what would have happened otherwise. What had come over him?

When Yuugi entered the bedroom and saw Yami sitting up and looking at him happily, he rushed forward and threw his arms around his other half as he managed to join him in the bed. "Mou hitori no boku!" Yuugi exclaimed through his tears as he hugged Yami tightly.

Pulling back a little to look at Yuugi, Yami wiped away the tears and told him, "Don't cry, aibou."

"Huh?" Yuugi asked with a sniff, looking at Yami in confusion.

"There is no need to shed tears over something this wonderful," Yami said with a smile, catching another errant drop with his index finger.

Looking completely mystified, Yuugi questioned, "Mou hitori no boku?"

"Yes?"

Yuugi glanced over at Kaiba for help and saw that he was frowning at Yami. "You can't understand him either?" Yuugi asked Kaiba, inadvertently shying away from the harsh blue gaze that confronted him.

"What are you talking about?" Kaiba demanded, wanting the pair out of his room so he could go back to pretending none of this had ever happened. He was still deeply shaken by what had occurred before Yuugi's interruption and that was something that was completely unacceptable.

"He's not speaking Japanese," Yuugi explained slowly, "so I can't understand him."

"Of course he's speaking Japanese," Kaiba snapped, looking at Yuugi in exasperation. "How else would I have been able to talk to him?" Sure, Yami's voice had sounded a little rough, but that was hardly cause for a lingual misunderstanding of that proportion.

Yuugi wasn't the only one who was confused; Yami couldn't understand his aibou, either. "Kaiba, what's going on?" Yami asked, troubled by the latest development.

"Contrary to popular belief, I do not know all of the answers," Kaiba snapped at Yami, once again tensing when he felt those red eyes on him.

Yuugi's gasp drew both of their attention to him and he asked, "Kaiba-kun, you can talk to him? You just spoke the same language! How is that possible?"

Kaiba could already feel the start of a headache forming as he denied, "I did no such thing."

Yami saw that Yuugi was about to protest, but he intervened by addressing Kaiba once more, "Am I speaking a different language?"

Now that attention had been drawn to it, Kaiba could hear the difference, but he refused to accept what that meant. "There is no fucking way that I have been speaking in a dead language all of this time with you!" he vehemently protested, realizing too late that it was exactly what he had been doing. "How the hell is that even possible?"

Yuugi couldn't understand what Kaiba was saying, but he could tell that the brunette was angered. "What language is it?" Yuugi asked in an attempt to try and distract Kaiba from his rage.

Yami realized that the Millennium Puzzle must have been acting as a translator of sorts this whole time and he momentarily feared that he might never again be able to understand Yuugi. However, he forced himself to make a concentrated effort and he stated in accented Japanese, "The one I used in my time."

"Then why can Kaiba speak it?" Yuugi wanted to know, pleased that he had actually understood Yami.

"I don't know," Yami answered truthfully, the words still feeling awkward on his tongue. "Kaiba?"

"Don't ask me," he muttered, although he had a suspicion that it had something to do with that damn priest he had seen in visions during the Battle City tournament.

Kaiba continued to stand by the bed and scowl, his mind traitorously comparing the differences between the two teens as Yuugi continued talking. He could hardly believe that there were two Yuugis, although it brought up a very good point. Randomly interjecting himself into the conversation, Kaiba asked, "So what am I supposed to call you?"

"I don't know," Yami finally answered after thinking about it for a moment.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

Briefly making eye contact before looking away, Yami told him softly, "I don't know my real name."

There was something wrong about seeing a look of shame on the face of someone so proud. "Then make one up," Kaiba countered, confused by the sudden outburst of laughter that comment earned him from Yami.

"Kaiba-kun, what did you just say?" Yuugi asked, frustrated by the fact that he couldn't understand whatever language they kept using around each other.

Shifting his gaze over to Yuugi, Kaiba tried not to get overly irritated as he paraphrased, "I told him to make up a name if he didn't have one."

_I guess he isn't the mou hiroi no boku anymore_, Yuugi realized sadly. "Oh," was all he responded with, still unsure about why Yami had found the comment so amusing.

Before anything further could happen, Kaiba's cell phone started to ring. Walking into his bathroom to retrieve it from the pocket of his other pair of pants, he answered with a harsh, "What?"

"I have Wataru-san on the other line and he wishes to speak with you, Seto-sama," his secretary informed him pleasantly, completely unfazed by the tone of Kaiba's voice.

"I need fifteen minutes to finish something first," Kaiba told her once he had done a rough calculation of how much time it would probably take to get rid of the pair who had invaded his room.

He could hear the sound of her typing lightly to pull up his schedule and she suggested, "Shall I have him call you at four, then?"

"What time is it now?" Kaiba asked when he realized that he also hadn't put his watch back on yet.

"3.07, sir."

Kaiba was about to argue that when he said fifteen minutes, he meant fifteen minutes, but he just didn't have it in him at the moment. He could probably use the extra time to decompress, anyway. "That will be fine," he relented, pleased when she got off of the phone immediately. Now if only it were that easy to get rid of the other two. Grabbing his shirt and putting it on first, Kaiba then left his bathroom to go deal with the duo.

"Is everything okay?" Yuugi asked in a worried tone, misinterpreting the expression on Kaiba's face.

Not bothering to answer the question, Kaiba informed them, "I have a conference call so you need to leave."

"Oh, okay," Yuugi said quietly, sounding a little dejected as he slid off of the bed.

Yami said nothing as he followed Yuugi, although he hesitated before stepping away from the bed. He managed to take a few steps before his legs gave out on him, but he was surprised when he was caught before he hit the ground. Kaiba had acted out of instinct and he cradled Yami's lithe body closer to his own as he stood up properly once more.

Although part of him protested at being carried like a princess, another part of Yami had no complaints other than the reappearance of Kaiba's shirt. Yami felt like he was on sensory overload and he wrapped his arms around Kaiba's neck to make himself feel even more secure. From his position he could hear the rapid beating of Kaiba's heart and Yami wondered if it was always like that or if it was a result of being so close to another person. "Thank you, Kaiba," Yami said softly as he was transported to Yuugi's room down the hall.

Not knowing how else to respond, Kaiba merely said, "Hn," and continued walking. Being that close to crimson made it hard to think for some reason.

Yuugi held the door open for Kaiba and followed behind the pair after they entered. Without waiting for instructions, Kaiba walked to the couch and placed Yami on it. Now that Yami was awake, there was something almost embarrassingly intimate about the action and Kaiba tried not to notice how dangerous low the pants were resting on Yami's slender hips.

His task completed, Kaiba was more than ready to leave when Yuugi told him, "Thank you for helping us, Kaiba-kun."

"Whatever," Kaiba dismissively said, not interested in gratitude. He took his leave without another word, quickly returning to his room and locking the door behind him.

Against his better judgment, Kaiba dropped heavily onto his bed with a sigh. It was still warm from Yami's presence and that was mildly disconcerting to Kaiba. The whole situation confused Kaiba and he hated that. Yami's red eyes kept flashing in his mind and Kaiba did his best not to get too distracted by the accompanying thoughts. Why did Yami's body feel like such a natural fit against his own? It had been just a little too comfortable and that made Kaiba nervous. The feel of Yami's body against his had almost been familiar, but that was impossible. He had never been that close to another person before and yet something in him had responded to Yami and the way that he—no, Kaiba wouldn't allow himself to dwell on such pointless things. And yet he kept getting distracted by the lingering warmth that Yami had left behind as proof of his presence.

Rolling over and staring up at the wall, Kaiba sighed heavily as he tried to calm himself. He needed a clear mind to deal with the business negotiations he was about to make and he couldn't afford any distractions, regardless of what form they took. Still, the thought of those crimson eyes continued to haunt him for some time longer.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I have been dying to share this chapter since I first wrote it back in 2008. I hope everyone enjoyed it! It feels so good to finally put it out there for all of you.

**NEXT CHAPTER:**

"_You obviously had other intentions besides just returning some clothes," Kaiba answered the unasked question as he walked back over to his chair in the living room portion of his dorm._

From here on out, it's going to be a blast. I'm so excited to share this story and I can't thank everyone enough for their positive reactions thus far!

The next chapter will be posted on **Sunday, January 25th** and I look forward to your reactions this week!


	4. Chapter 04: The First of Many

**Chapter 04: The First of Many**

He had lived alone in darkness for centuries and yet he had never felt it so acutely as he did at that moment. Sitting alone on his bed, Yami cursed whoever had decided to separate him from Yuugi. It wasn't like he had wanted his own room and yet he was given one; he wasn't ungrateful, but he was far from happy about it. Even though Yuugi was only across the hall, sometimes he felt so far away.

They were no longer connected by the Millennium Puzzle's power, which had been one of the most upsetting discoveries. Yami could no longer feel his aibou's presence or speak to him through their minds, nor could he draw upon his dark powers as he had previously been able to. It made Yami feel very vulnerable, but there was nothing that he could do to regain what he had lost.

He still wasn't sure if having a body was worth the sacrifice. It was still ridiculously weak and it frustrated Yami that he was having to build up stamina to do even the simplest of tasks. At the very least he wanted to be able to join Yuugi and Kaiba in class, but he couldn't even walk halfway to the main class building without exhausting himself to the point of collapse, let alone attend hours of class.

Technically there was no difference between being trapped in the Millennium Puzzle and being confined in his bedroom; it was starting to get to Yami. Every beat of his heart told him that he was alive and yet he was wasting the opportunity granted to him by sitting in his room all the time. It gave Yami too much time to think and more often than not it led to him getting depressed.

Nights were always the worst. His aibou was asleep and that left Yami with no other options for distractions. Although that wasn't entirely true since there was always Kaiba. Glancing over at the silk pajama pants he had yet to return, Yami sighed and debated what to do.

He didn't think Kaiba would deny his existence, but the thought of rejection was intimidating. Yami hadn't seen Kaiba since he had materialized and he wondered how poorly a late night visit would go. He had a legitimate reason to go over there, but Yami had been putting it off for the past three days. Even though he considered Kaiba as more of a friend than a rival, Yami doubted that the other teen felt the same way. Then again, why had Kaiba taken it upon himself to watch over Yami at that time? Yuugi had related everything that had happened to Yami and it left him curious about Kaiba's motivations.

His eyes strayed to the silk sleepwear and he wondered what Kaiba had thought while dressing him. Probably nothing, but the thought of Kaiba's hands on his skin made Yami blush for some reason. It was probably for the best that he had been unconscious for it; otherwise he might have embarrassed himself. The slightest touch caused pleasant sensations and he couldn't even begin to imagine what more would do to him. Actually that wasn't entirely true. When he had boldly transgressed Kaiba's personal space, Yami had been given a slight hint of what another could make him feel. Whether or not that feeling was because of Kaiba or something anyone could give him was beyond him, but Yami wasn't up to experimenting. He had enough to deal with as it was.

Yami was tempted to keep the freshly laundered pajamas, but he couldn't. Even though Kaiba probably wouldn't miss then if they were gone, Yami just didn't feel right about keeping them, no matter how amazing the fabric felt on his sensitive skin.

Yami was surprised by his own desire to see Kaiba. He knew that a part of it was because he was lonely in his empty room, but he really did enjoy being in Kaiba's company. Plus, he wanted to know more about how Kaiba had been able to understand him without even realizing the difference in languages. It was comforting to know that there was at least one other person who could understand him, but he wanted to know how it was possible.

At least things had gotten better in that respect. He still tended to switch languages first thing in the morning or if he was interrupted mid-thought, but Yami knew that would eventually stop. When he started to get tired it took more concentration to speak proper Japanese, but Yami was just grateful that ability had carried over from before. He didn't know what he would have done if he couldn't speak at all to his aibou.

Yami knew that he was just making excuses about Kaiba, but he couldn't resist the pull he felt. And yet Yami didn't move from his spot on the bed. Instead he looked around the lavish room and tried to find a way to reassure himself that this was all real. He couldn't shake the fear that this was simply another room somewhere deep inside the Millennium Puzzle and Yami did his best not to dwell on it. Usually it only bothered Yami when he was about to open a door; he always expected the stone labyrinth to appear instead of the ornate hallway.

He wanted to go to Yuugi's room, but Yami couldn't let himself. It was nerve wracking not knowing whether or not Yuugi was safe, but Yami was going to have to learn to live with it. Besides, Yuugi was already asleep and Yami didn't want to wake him. They needed to learn how to be two separate entities again, but Yami wasn't coping nearly as well as Yuugi. Even though Yami had been alone for thousands of years and surrounded by silence, it had never felt quite so oppressive as it did now.

Those types of thoughts never led to good thoughts, so Yami decided to be proactive and deal with Kaiba. Remembering to put on a black beater before he left, Yami picked up the nearly folded pants and made his way down the hall.

There was no sign of life in Yuugi's room, but that was hardly surprising. As he walked a little further down, he could see the faint glow of light filtering under from Kaiba's door and it gave Yami hope that he might be awake. Taking a deep breath to steady himself as he stood in front of the door, Yami knocked quietly and waited for a reaction. He anxiously shifted his weight from foot to foot until he finally heard the sound of the deadbolt being turned.

Kaiba looked mildly surprised to see Yami standing there, but that was better than other alternatives like disgust or annoyance. "Yes?" he finally asked when he realized that Yami was waiting for him to speak first. He felt his heart rate start to quicken when he made eye contact and Kaiba tried not to stare blatantly into the crimson depths that he had been unable to forget.

He was surprisingly nervous, but Yami forced himself to behave as if he were in a duel. "I wanted to return this to you," Yami said softly so as not to disturb the other students in nearby rooms.

"And you thought that three in the morning on a Wednesday was the perfect time to do so?" Kaiba asked sarcastically, although he sounded more amused than angered.

Shrugging in response, Yami justified his actions with a nonchalant, "I figured you'd be up anyway."

That drew a smirk from Kaiba who had to ask, "And what made you think that?"

"Because you always look tired?" Yami replied, surprised when Kaiba finally stepped aside to grant him permission to enter. "Kaiba?"

"You obviously had other _intentions _besides just returning some clothes," Kaiba answered the unasked question as he walked back over to his chair in the living room portion of his dorm. "I don't really feel like doing it in front of a doorway where others can hear."

Even though there was probably no one else awake to eavesdrop on them, the consideration was still appreciated. Gracefully situating himself on the other high backed leather chair, Yami saw the title of the book Kaiba had been reading before he had been interrupted. "Is that for class?"

Giving Yami a strange look, Kaiba answered, "No," as he tried to figure out the real reason he had come over to talk. "Why are you still awake?"

"I sleep during the day while aibou is in class," Yami explained as he shifted positions in an attempt to get more comfortable. "I'm usually awake for most of the night."

"So you decided to come over here."

Unsure of how to interpret Kaiba's tone, Yami half-heartedly offered, "If it's a problem, I can leave."

It was an easy way out, but Kaiba was reluctant to take it for some reason. "Do what you want," Kaiba told him with a shrug that implied he didn't care one way or the other. "I have some time to kill before my next call anyway."

"Your next call?" Yami repeated in confusion until he realized what that meant. "You're still working?"

"What do you sound so surprised about?" Kaiba questioned, even though he already knew the answer.

"But it's after three in the morning!" Yami protested incredulously. "And you have school today!"

"So? Kaiba Corporation's American division doesn't wait for such nonsense."

Yami wanted to comment about how horrible that was, but he got the impression that he should keep that opinion to himself. Besides, if it wasn't Kaiba Corporation, there would probably always be some other reason for the CEO's late nights. "There's always something, isn't there?" Yami mused, more to himself than Kaiba.

While Yami was busy getting lost in his thoughts, Kaiba took the opportunity to observe him for any changes. Yami had clearly borrowed his clothes from Yuugi because the black beater was just a little too tight and the pants a little too short, leaving quite a bit of skin on display. The way it exposed Yami's midriff and slender waist was somewhat distracting to Kaiba and he tried to ignore the feelings it stirred within him. Kaiba had spent the better part of the past few nights trying to forget the way Yami had pressed against him and moaned, "Please," low in his ear. Obviously he had failed to forget and the sight of Yami sitting there so unguarded wasn't helping any. Kaiba objected strongly to such thoughts about his rival, but his body apparently had no qualms about such things.

Oblivious to Kaiba's current issue, Yami said, "I never got the chance to thank you for the other day."

"It's not necessary," Kaiba said dismissively, his gaze returning to Yami's.

"Maybe not, but I still appreciate what you did for me."

Kaiba wasn't used to sincere gratitude and it made him feel surprisingly self-conscious. Or maybe that was just what being close to Yami again did to him. He didn't really know what else to add and it was almost a saving grace when his cell phone started to ring. Excusing himself, Kaiba went to his office as he took the call, glad to have a legitimate distraction.

The phone call hadn't lasted nearly as long as he had expected, but Kaiba was still surprised to find Yami curled up in the chair asleep. He had assumed that Yami would have left, but instead he had fallen asleep at an awkward angle while waiting for Kaiba to return.

When calling out to Yami and shaking him proved useless, Kaiba became frustrated by his options. He couldn't in good conscience leave Yami in the uncomfortable chair and he couldn't be sure that Yami had left his door unlocked. There was no way that Kaiba was going to carry Yami back to his own room to discover that he had locked himself out; besides, he didn't see any pockets where the key could be and he wasn't searching for one. That left moving Yami to either the couch or the bed, neither of which was a pleasing option. There was always a chance for Yami to fall off the narrow couch and inconvenience Kaiba later, so that left only the bed. There were plenty of other things that Kaiba could do besides sleeping, so it technically wasn't that much of an issue.

Yami was still disturbingly light and Kaiba had no problem carrying him the short distance to the bed. After he placed Yami on the bed, Kaiba pulled up the sheets to cover him. Taking a final look at Yami as he snuggled deeper with a contented sigh, Kaiba turned away and went back to his study. Sleep could wait.

A thought suddenly occurred to Kaiba and he couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it. This was the second time he had a man in his bed without knowing his name. Kaiba would have to remember to ask for his name later. For now, there was work to be done.

* * *

><p>By the time Kaiba had reached the world news section of the newspaper, he was completely bored with it. Every day it was the same thing and he set it aside with all of the other useless sections. <em>At least the coffee is good<em>, Kaiba consoled himself as he enjoyed the only pleasant aspect of the morning.

Yami's strangled cry came as quite a surprise and Kaiba scowled when he was forced to set aside his drink in order to investigate. Kaiba walked into his bedroom to discover Yami sitting up and panting as he stared without seeing. Yami looked so small amongst the tangled sheets and he appeared almost childlike with the way his hair stuck out at odd angles. "What happened?" Kaiba asked, startled when Yami finally looked at him.

Panic melted into relief when Yami saw Kaiba standing in front of him and he acted without thinking. Throwing his arms around Kaiba's waist and burying his face against his chest, Yami murmured, "You're still here."

"Where else would I be?" Kaiba muttered as he stared down at Yami. He continued to stand with his arms at his side, awkwardly receiving the attention. If it had been his younger brother, Kaiba would have ruffled his hair and said a few calming things, but that seemed a little inappropriate for a rival to do. Then again, lending a bed to an opponent wasn't exactly appropriate, but he had already done that. So what was he supposed to do?

A frantic pounding noise on his door startled them both and Kaiba felt Yami tense. Why did that make Kaiba feel the need to protect him? Before he could call out to the person on the other side, Yuugi yelled, "Kaiba-kun! It's an emergency!"

Instead of responding to Yuugi, Kaiba redirected his attention to Yami who had tightened his hold rather than releasing him. "Is there some reason you're still clinging to me?" Kaiba asked sarcastically, although he was completely serious.

"But what if something happened to Jii-chan or—"

They were interrupted when Yuugi burst into the room, having tried the doorknob out of desperation. Kaiba mentally cursed himself for forgetting to lock the door after retrieving his morning paper and he tried to think of the best way to handle the situation.

Yuugi's words died at the sight in front of him. He couldn't even begin to figure out why Yami was sitting in Kaiba's bed and holding onto his rival like his life depended on it. Yuugi finally managed to stumble through his words, "I just…I couldn't find him so I got scared because—"

Not caring about the reason, Kaiba cut him off with a sharp, "Well, you found him."

Realizing what a terrible situation he had put Kaiba in, he started to apologize, "I'm sorry, Kaiba. I didn't mean to—"

"Save it," Kaiba interrupted him, not wanting to hear it—especially since he got the impression that Yami wasn't all that sorry over it. "If you want to make up for it, go deal with him in your own damn room."

Finally freeing Kaiba, Yami said, "Thank you," as he sheepishly started to climb out of bed. Pausing before he went to Yuugi, Yami suddenly realized something. "You didn't sleep, did you?"

"That had nothing to do with you," Kaiba said in a bored tone of voice, although that wasn't entirely true.

Yuugi watched the scene with a mounting sense of frustration. He could hear Kaiba and Yami talking, but he couldn't understand a word of it. Even though they weren't intentionally excluding him, Yuugi still felt hurt that he was being shut out because of it. Why hadn't he been granted the ability to understand Yami's language? If Yami could understand Japanese, why wasn't it the same in reverse? And even though the thought made him feel terrible, Yuugi wondered why Kaiba of all people had been chosen to understand.

He always knew that Yami had felt differently about Kaiba, but Yuugi didn't know how to interpret what he had seen. Yami had been embracing Kaiba, although Yuugi could tell that the taller teen was less than thrilled about it. Or was he just displeased with the fact that they had been caught? It just seemed unusually intimate for the pair, especially when Yuugi considered that Yami had never done such a thing when they shared a body. So why now? Or had Yami always wanted to and just been too afraid to do it while he was reliant on Yuugi's body?

Yuugi didn't want to jump to any conclusions, so he said nothing but a quick goodbye to Kaiba before leaving with Yami. He remained silent until they reached his room and looked at Yami expectantly.

Running his fingers through his hair to mat down some of the spikes, Yami tried to explain, "I went to return his clothes last night and I ended up falling asleep while he was on a phone call."

"In his bed?" Yuugi questioned, raising his eyebrows in disbelief.

"No, I woke up there," Yami told him, although Yuugi's tone of voice worried him a little. "I fell asleep in a chair."

Yuugi started to question why Kaiba hadn't just woken Yami up, but then he remembered just how impossible of a task it was. Kaiba probably couldn't have been bothered to stop his phone call to take Yami down the hall. Yuugi might have been more suspicious of Kaiba's intentions if it weren't for Mokuba. It suddenly made more sense when he viewed it as a brotherly action; he just couldn't imagine Kaiba seeing Yami as anything other than a rival.

Yami hated that he couldn't understand what Yuugi was thinking anymore. The silence troubled him and he found himself apologizing, "I didn't mean to worry you, I just…"

"It's okay," Yuugi reassured him with a warm smile. "Breakfast?"

The shadow of distrust disappeared from Yuugi's eyes and Yami suddenly felt lighter as a result.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Kaiba seems to be the kind of person that has a lot of different versions of himself that he presents to others and Yami is about to get introduced to the fascinating side of Kaiba. Just wait until next week, because hilarity ensues.

**NEXT CHAPTER:**

"_Something obviously went wrong with your mind when you got a body…"_

I can't even begin to tell you how much fun next week's chapter is going to be. It is quite funny, if I do say so myself. I will be posting the next chapter on **Sunday, February 1st**. Until then, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this one!


	5. Chapter 05: Getting Comfortable

**Chapter 05: Getting Comfortable**

When Yami showed up two days later at one in the morning, Kaiba's curiosity started to get the better of him. Why was his rival seeking him out again? It was clear to Kaiba that Yami was nervous about the intrusion, so why did he persist in trying to associate? He told himself that the only reason he granted Yami entrance was to try and understand his rival's intentions, but Kaiba suspected that there was more to his own motivation than just that.

A small part of Yami's nervousness stemmed from his doubts about how well his presence would be received, but he was mostly flustered by the fact that Kaiba had answered the door after having just finished taking a shower. He had on a black silk shirt that matched his pants, but it was unbuttoned and displayed a fair amount of Kaiba's body for Yami's pleasure. The towel draped around Kaiba's neck obscured part of his view, but Yami didn't have time to think about it. Kaiba continued towel drying his hair as he gestured for Yami to take a seat somewhere while he returned to his bathroom to finish.

Yami did so and he wasn't kept waiting for long; Kaiba returned quickly, although his shirt was buttoned up to a more modest level. For some reason that was a source of disappointment to Yami, but he said nothing as Kaiba took a seat near him. He didn't understand the heat that had spread through him, but Yami suspected that it had something to do with the way Kaiba was dressed. Without his normal attire and with his cheeks still flushed from his recent shower, Kaiba actually looked a little boyish for once. It made him seem slightly less intimidating and Yami failed at hiding his slightly smile.

"What?" Kaiba asked suspiciously, suddenly feeling slightly self-conscious about his current appearance.

"Nothing," Yami quickly reassured him, although it didn't really help.

Grateful that his blush couldn't be distinguished from the residual pink from his earlier shower, Kaiba did his best to look unaffected. "What's your excuse to visit this time?" Kaiba questioned, carefully watching for any reactions that might let him learn anything.

The way the question was phrased made Yami feel a little embarrassed, but he was surprised by the lack of a harsh or accusing tone. He was overly aware of Kaiba's gaze and he quietly answered, "To apologize for falling asleep here last time and to thank you for letting me stay."

"Try not to make it a habit," Kaiba told him as way of acknowledgement.

"Sorry," Yami mumbled as he looked away, trying to ignore the blush on his own cheeks.

It was odd seeing Yami look away from him and for some reason Kaiba disliked the meek reaction; his rival was not supposed to be such a person. "So what's the real reason you're here?"

Yami wasn't entirely sure how to respond to such a question, so he went on the defensive. "Is it a problem for me to be here?"

"Not particularly," Kaiba said with a shrug. "As long as you don't interfere or become a nuisance."

The response was a surprisingly generous one, considering that Yami had originally expected to be turned away. He was quickly learning that the Kaiba he dueled and the Kaiba he saw at night were two very different people. Curling his legs underneath him to try and get comfortable, Yami decided that difference wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"So did you ever figure out what to call yourself?" Kaiba asked, catching Yami slightly off guard. "Since you've slept in my bed twice, I figure I should at least know your name."

The slightly perverse statement stunned Yami, but he didn't miss a beat in replying, "Or is it so that you can use it the next time you have to get me up?"

"Something like that," Kaiba confirmed with the faintest hint of a smirk tugging at his lips.

"Yami," he finally told Kaiba, strangely apprehensive.

For some odd reason, Kaiba couldn't control his desire to poke fun at his rival. _Definitely not enough sleep_, Kaiba thought, although that hardly counted as a valid excuse. "That's the best you could come up with?"

Yami would have taken offense at the retort if it weren't for the fact that Kaiba's tone had almost sounded…_playful_. He wasn't quite sure if that was the right word for it, but Yami knew what Kaiba's harsh sarcasm sounded like and his voice had definitely lacked that hard judgmental edge.

"This coming from you, Seahorse?" Yami teased, hoping he wasn't overstepping an unknown boundary.

Kaiba's eyes widened slightly at the audacity it took to address him in such a manner. No one had ever dared to call him by the literal translation of his last name and he didn't know whether to be impressed or affronted by it. "Hey, I didn't choose the name," Kaiba pointed out, not wanting to react and encourage Yami to continue calling him that. Although if one wanted to get technical, since he chose the man that adopted him because of the power the last name held, Kaiba had chosen the name in a manner of speaking.

Yami was a little disappointed in Kaiba's lack of reaction to the jab, but then again he should probably be grateful that he hadn't become irate over it. "And if you could chose a name, what would you change it to?" Yami asked, grinning when Kaiba failed to answer after a brief pause. "See? It's not that easy, Seahorse."

"Keep calling me that and you'll regret it," Kaiba threatened, realizing a bit belatedly that it was hard to come off as dangerous when wearing silk pajamas.

Refusing to let it drop so easily, Yami persisted in trying to rile up Kaiba. "What's wrong with seahorses? Aren't they just like little dragons that can fly underwater?"

The idea was so ridiculous that Kaiba actually laughed. "Do you even know what a seahorse looks like?" Kaiba questioned as he rolled his eyes. "First off, they don't have wings."

"So? They're little seadragons, then," Yami said with a chuckle, thoroughly entertained by the conversation.

"There's no such thing as a seadragon," Kaiba explained, although he would have added the creature to his deck if such a thing existed.

Shifting positions slightly since one of his legs had fallen asleep, Yami continued, "Blue Eyes White Seadragon?"

The sound of Yami's laughter was so unrestrained that Kaiba was finding it difficult not to join in the mirth. "_No_," Kaiba told him firmly, although a trace of his own amusement could still be heard. "Something obviously went wrong with your mind when you got a body…"

Yami was about to make a witty retort when Kaiba's phone rang. A single glance was all it took to make Yami reign in his amusement and he silently observed the instantaneous change in Kaiba's demeanor. All traces of humor were gone and his expression hardened as he answered, "Kaiba," glaring at Yami as if to dare him to say something.

Resting his head on the chair arm, Yami feigned disinterest as he continued watching Kaiba through lowered lashes. Yami had never noticed that Kaiba's voice became deeper whenever he was dealing with business; it actually did make him sound a little older. It was almost sad in a way, but somehow Yami doubted that Kaiba would agree.

Instead of fixating on that, Yami chose to focus on the lighter aspects of what he was witnessing. Yami wondered what the person on the other end of the line would think if they knew that the all-powerful CEO was currently in his pajamas as he conducted business. The thought made Yami laugh silently to himself and he did his best to hold back the snort of amusement that threatened to burst from him when his thoughts continued onward to question whether or not Kaiba had ever taken a call while completely naked.

Having failed to completely silence his snicker, it earned Yami a look of extreme irritation. Silently mouthing an apology, Yami quieted down, although it took quite an effort. Every time he managed to get control of his amusement, he would think about the reaction of Kaiba's employees and it would start all over again.

Kaiba hung up the phone just before another round of snickering started and he irritably demanded, "What the hell is so funny?" Yami sat up straight to look at him then and Kaiba wasn't sure how to interpret the expression on the former spirit's face. "If this is still about the damn seahorses…"

"No, no, no," Yami hurriedly denied, "I was just thinking about you naked and—"

Kaiba interrupted incredulously to exclaim, "You were doing _what_?"

Completely embarrassed, Yami tried to recover with as much dignity as possible. "Not like that!"

"Not like what, exactly?" Kaiba questioned, enjoying the sight of Yami blushing profusely as he tried to clarify what he had meant. Even though the topic was uncomfortable, it was almost worth it to watch the way his rival was trying to talk his way out of his slip.

"Not in a—I just," Yami stammered before pausing long enough to collect his thoughts and stop being so flustered. "What I _meant_ was that I started to wonder what the person you were talking to would think if they knew you were in pajamas."

Kaiba looked at Yami blankly, failing to see the connection as he asked, "How does this relate to nudity?"

If Yami hadn't already been embarrassed before, he certainly would have been because of Kaiba's bluntness. Trying a different tactic, Yami wanted to know, "If your phone rang after you had just finished your shower, what would you do?"

"Answer it," Kaiba told him, his voice implying just how ridiculous he thought the question was. "It's not like they can tell that I'm naked through the phone."

"Yes, but if they _could_," Yami persisted before he realized just how bad that sounded.

Kaiba didn't understand why Yami was continuing on with such an odd line of questioning. "Why would anyone think about me naked?" Kaiba asked with genuine confusion.

"Because you're—" Yami started to say before stopping mid-sentence. There were just certain things that shouldn't be said and finishing that thought out loud probably wasn't the best idea Yami ever had.

"Because I'm _what_?"

It was clear that Kaiba expected an answer, so Yami weakly said, "Because you're you," although it sounded more like a question. While it was true that Kaiba's abilities, power, and looks were all valid reasons for attraction, Yami didn't feel at liberty to point any of that out to the seemingly oblivious teen.

"Hn. What's that got to do with anything?"

"Forget it," Yami muttered, hoping to brush the topic aside in favor of anything else.

The fact that Yami was so clearly uncomfortable made it worthwhile to pursue the issue in Kaiba's opinion. "So I'm just supposed to forget that my rival was thinking about me being naked?" Kaiba challenged, amused at the instant response it earned him.

Yami's blush deepened and he forced himself to meet Kaiba's bemused gaze. "It wasn't like it was in an inappropriate way!" Yami defended himself, trying not to stammer.

"You consider thinking about me like that is an appropriate thing to do?" Kaiba incredulously demanded, holding back a smirk.

"No, but it's not like it was indecent or anything," Yami shot back, glaring at Kaiba.

Unable to resist, Kaiba taunted, "Pervert."

"Says the person who has actually seen me naked?" Yami triumphantly countered.

Embarrassed didn't quite describe what Kaiba was currently feeling and he pretended that his cheeks weren't trying to compete against Yami's over who could turn the deepest shade of red. Recovering quickly, Kaiba shot back, "I wasn't the only one. The entire Host Club was present for that."

"Yes, but—" Yami started to say, but he was interrupted when the phone rang again. Curling up, Yami waited out the conversation hoping to finish his thought. He was pleased that he had managed to turn the situation around in his favor and Yami wasn't about to let that go so easily.

When Kaiba said, "Hold on, let me get back to my computer," Yami watched carefully as he walked away toward his office. His posture was more rigid now than it had been when he had first opened the door and Yami couldn't help but wonder just how much of Kaiba's personality was modified to become the president of Kaiba Corporation.

The longer Kaiba was in returning, the sleepier Yami started to become. He knew that he should get up and go back to his room, but he wasn't quite ready to leave yet. Yami still wanted to finish his point and he tried to keep his eyes opened, but they stubbornly continued to close. He valiantly fought against his desire to succumb to sleep, but it was finally too much and he drifted off into a doze.

It was well over an hour before Kaiba returned and he almost rolled his eyes at the sight of Yami sleeping soundly in his chair. Shaking his head as he approached the slumbering teen, Kaiba was surprised that he was more amused than annoyed at the inconvenience. Lightly shaking Yami's shoulder, Kaiba ordered, "Wake up," but it was useless. Yami showed no sounds of rousing and Kaiba had a report that he needed to get sent out as soon as possible, leaving him no time to deal with the difficulties that waking him up entailed.

"Did I not just say don't make this a habit?" Kaiba muttered as he picked Yami up off of the couch and started walking toward his bed. Somewhere in the back of his mind he questioned whether he was addressing himself or Yami, but it was quickly dismissed as he neared the bed.

Gently placing Yami on the bed and pulling the covers back up, Kaiba looked down at his slumbering face and he wondered at the weird sensation he was feeling inside of him. Brushing a strand of hair away from Yami's face, Kaiba's mouth was slightly upturned in a faint smile as he murmured, "Yami, huh?" Kaiba would be lying if he said he wasn't entertained by how his evening had turned out because of Yami. It had been surprisingly challenging to restrain his reactions to Yami's sense of humor. Then again, Yami always had been unnaturally gifted in throwing Kaiba off of his pace, so he didn't know why he was so surprised that the former spirit could bring that often hidden side out of him.

However, there was work to be done and Kaiba resigned himself to another sleepless night as he left Yami alone in the bedroom and returned to his office.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **It's a toss up between the seadragons and naked conversations for which amused me more to write~. These boys really enjoy their banter, as the upcoming chapters will show!

**NEXT CHAPTER:**

"_It's still weird," Kaiba told him, although he knew his own behavior toward it was far from normal._

The next chapter will be posted on **Sunday, February 8th**, so please look forward to it! I'm a bit behind on reviews, so I will do my best to get to them by this Tuesday. My apologies, but I figured you guys would rather have the chapter than my rambling responses, lol. I've really been enjoying your reactions to this story so far, so thank you for sharing your thoughts with me! I truly appreciate it.


	6. Chapter 06: Deliberate Misunderstanding

**Chapter 06: Deliberate Misunderstanding**

It was no longer a surprise when Yami showed up at his door and Kaiba granted him entrance without a word before leading the way to the living room.

"So why wouldn't you agree to duel with aibou that night at the welcoming party?" Yami asked without preamble as he sat down, having been bothered by the incident ever since it happened.

"You're familiar with both of our schedules, so when would we have the time for a duel?" Kaiba logically returned as he sat near Yami.

Frowning at the strong defense, Yami argued, "You still could have agreed even if you were too busy to do it."

"That's stupid," Kaiba dismissively said as he waved it away. "I'm not in the habit of saying things I don't mean."

"So would you agree to duel me?" Yami questioned, trying not to sound too hopeful. He got so bored during the day and the thought of being able to duel with Kaiba at night was such a tempting prospect.

"You would fall asleep left than halfway through it," Kaiba told him, although he didn't outright refuse. Even Kaiba had to admit that he missed being able to duel regularly and there truly was no one else more worthy of challenging than Kaiba.

"I would not!" Yami vehemently protested. "Staying awake to duel is much different than waiting for you to finish your call."

"Speaking of which, why do you sleep every time you're here?" Kaiba asked, still finding it strange. "You said you sleep all day while Yuugi is in class, yet you have no problem sleeping here at night. You're worse than a cat."

"I am not!" Yami denied, although this time he was laughing while he said it. "It's not my fault sleeping is easier than being awake."

"Right," Kaiba said with a rude snort.

"It's not like I come here to sleep," Yami continued. "It just happens."

"It's still weird," Kaiba told him, although he knew his own behavior toward it was far from normal.

"I—" Yami started to say, but stopped himself. It was embarrassing to admit, but Kaiba was looking at him expectantly and Yami couldn't think of anything better to say. "I guess I fall asleep here because I feel safe."

"So you feel unsafe in your own room?" Kaiba asked in confusion.

"No, it's not that," Yami denied as he tried to find a better way of explaining himself. "When I'm in your room, I can trust the fact that you're here."

"What does that have to do with sleeping?" Kaiba asked, still failing to see the connection.

"Sleeping is still hard for me," Yami admitted, even though it made him feel foolish.

Kaiba laughed at that as he asked, "How can it be hard when you sleep all the time?"

"Fine, waking up is still hard," Yami corrected himself. "I'm just…I mean, I know it probably sounds stupid to you, but I can't help but worry sometimes that I'm not going to wake up here and I guess I feel better knowing that you're close."

"I'm always in a different room when you pass out on my couch," Kaiba pointed out, still finding it strange. "And where else would you wake up?"

"In the Millennium Puzzle," Yami replied. "Sometimes this all just feels like a twisted dream and I'm going to wake up back in there again."

It finally made sense to Kaiba, although part of him still wanted to protest it as occult nonsense. However, it would be foolish to protest it when the evidence was sitting right in front of him that such a thing was possible. "If you haven't returned to it yet, the odds are highly unlikely that you will," Kaiba said, although he wasn't quite sure why he felt the need to reassure his rival about such a thing.

"Logically I understand that, but it doesn't calm that inherent anxiety," Yami told Kaiba with a sad smile. "I keep hoping it will go away the longer I have a body, but some days it feels impossible."

"Except when you're in my room," Kaiba stated, still confused on some level even though he understood the explanation.

"Except when I'm in your room," Yami repeated with a grin at Kaiba's vaguely puzzled expression. "Besides, I only fall asleep when you leave me alone. It's not like I'm falling asleep mid-sentence in a conversation."

"They why don't you go to your own room?" Kaiba asked, curious as to why he kept finding Yami sleeping at awkward angles on his couch.

"Because I keep hoping you will come back," Yami told him with a slight blush at the admission.

"_Why_?"

"I have fun when I'm with you," Yami answered, still embarrassed and yet feeling like it needed to be said. "Is it so weird that I enjoy hanging out with you?"

"Yes," Kaiba replied in a deadpan tone that made Yami laugh.

"Oh, like you don't enjoy it," Yami sardonically shot back, having his suspicions about the fact Kaiba was also enjoying the company. "If it was intolerable, you would have thrown me out days ago and told me to stop coming back and wasting your time."

It was a galling point and Kaiba felt he needed to save some face by protesting, "I don't think, 'enjoy,' is the right word for it."

"Then what word is?" Yami challenged, curious to see what Kaiba would pick.

"I'm just saying there are worse ways to spend an evening," Kaiba replied with a shrug, appalled that he couldn't find another word. Kaiba enjoyed very few things and he wasn't prepared to add casually spending time with his rival to that list.

Grinning again, Yami teased, "You would miss me if I stopped coming over."

"Doubtful," Kaiba scoffed, even though there was a tiny part of him that whispered he probably would. Yami was giving Kaiba a knowing look like he didn't believe Kaiba in the least. "And stop looking at me like that!"

"You should be more honest with yourself," Yami told him, still deeply amused.

Kaiba's phone rang and he muttered, "And you should be less of a pain in the ass," at Yami before answering the call with a professional demeanor.

As always, Yami waited in the hopes that Kaiba would return soon. However, Yami could feel himself starting to become sleepy and he knew he would fall asleep unless he did something. He knew he should probably go back to his room, but an idea suddenly hit him. Forcing himself off the couch, Yami wandered into Kaiba's room and got into his bed. He wondered if he was being too forward, but there was only one way to find out if he was. "Well, you _did _tell me to quit being such a pain in the ass," Yami told the darkness before laughing. "I'm saving you the trip."

Yami cuddled the blankets close to him with a happy sigh and felt himself starting to get drowsy again. "So much better than the couch," Yami mumbled with a snicker at the thought of Kaiba's reaction before he finally fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Kaiba arched an eyebrow in shock when he came back from his office to an empty living room. "Glad to see that he finally got the hint," Kaiba commented in a pleased tone as he shut off the lights and started heading to his bedroom. Kaiba rubbed his eyes and tried to stifle a yawn. It was 4.27 in the morning and he was actually tired for once. It had been days since he slept because Yami kept occupying his bed and Kaiba was thoroughly looking forward to getting some much needed sleep.<p>

When Kaiba turned on the lights in his room, it took a moment to process the sight of Yami sleeping in the bed. "You have _got_ to be joking," Kaiba muttered as he continued staring at Yami. "Seriously? What part of that conversation did you think was an invitation to just get in my bed yourself?"

Sighing irritably as he went into his bathroom to get ready for bed, Kaiba debated his options. Staying up another night was out of the question, which left Kaiba the option of sleeping on the couch or joining Yami, neither of which pleased him. Why should he be relegated to the couch when it was his damn room? He should be able to sleep as he wanted and right now all he wanted to do was crawl in bed. It was impossible wake Yami up to send him back to his own room, so that meant joining him.

Then again, the bed was quite large and as long as Kaiba stayed close to the opposite side, it would be just like there was no one else in bed. He would wake up before Yami and be gone before the former spirit even knew that Kaiba had been there, so was it really that terrible? Why should he have to inconvenience himself because of Yami?

Decision made, Kaiba debated whether or not to turn on his alarm. Usually he woke up before it went off and Kaiba didn't want to risk it waking up Yami and risk getting caught. Figuring it would be better to err on the side of caution, Kaiba left his alarm unset and turned off the lights before getting into bed.

Kaiba closed his eyes with a deep sigh and tried to force himself to relax. He couldn't even tell that Yami was there and eventually Kaiba gave in to the sleep that wanted to claim him.

* * *

><p>As Kaiba slowly started to wake up, he resisted the pull of consciousness. He was entirely too warm and comfortable to even think about getting out of bed yet. Besides, his alarm hadn't even gone off yet…<p>

Kaiba felt himself starting to drift off again and he drew Yami closer to him as—

His eyes flew open when he realized what had happened. Kaiba discovered that at some point he had curled up around Yami and draped one of his arms around the former spirit to embrace him and hold him close. The position was entirely too comfort so Kaiba slowly moved his arm away as he tried to leave without waking Yami. Such a thing could not be allowed and Kaiba hastened in order to get to class before Yami knew that anything unusual occurred.

When he was safely in his bathroom, Kaiba tried to ignore the fact that he actually felt well rested for once. He glanced over at the clock on his sink counter to judge how much time he had before class and he was shocked to see that it read 10.12AM. _And I overslept?_ Kaiba realized with a start. That never happened! He couldn't even remember the last time he had overslept and he was still in shock over it.

The distraction was only slowing him down further and Kaiba forcibly pushed the issue from his mind so he could focus on getting ready. There was plenty of time to think about it later.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **These boys never shy away from a challenge. Not even the weird ones~.

**NEXT CHAPTER:**

_They had become more than rivals, but did that make them friends? _

The next chapter will be posted on **Sunday, February 15th**, so please look forward to it! I know I said I was going to try and get to review responses last week, but time just got away from me. My apologies, it's just so hard during the week with work. I thought I could carve out some time and it just didn't happen. But thankfully I have some time tonight, so I should be able to remedy that right now…


	7. Chapter 07: And Then the Morning Comes

**Chapter 07: And Then the Morning Comes**

Somehow one night became two, then two became three, and then more than a week had passed since Kaiba had started sharing his bed with Yami. He always woke up embracing Yami, but every morning he managed to extract himself before his sleeping rival noticed. Kaiba didn't know why he was so embarrassed by it, but he had never slept so well as he did when Yami was by his side in bed. It was one of the reasons Kaiba had stopped telling Yami to leave when he got tired. Besides, even though it was hard to admit, he had been enjoying the company during the otherwise tedious nights. They had even started playing chess together, something that Kaiba had really missed. He loved his brother dearly, but Mokuba was no match for Kaiba in chess. Yami managed to push him and a few times had almost won, but so far it was the only game Kaiba had ever won against Yami.

They had even dueled once when Kaiba had the time to do so. It was always so invigorating facing off against those fiery crimson eyes at close range. They made his heart race and Kaiba just felt so alive. It didn't matter that he lost, he was just enjoying the battle.

Those were the nights Kaiba laid besides Yami and listened to his even breathing while wondering what they were becoming. They had obviously become more than rivals, but did that make them friends? The friends Kaiba had once had while a child were a distant memory that had become hazy with time, so it was practically a foreign concept to him now. However, Kaiba suspected friendship felt a lot like what he had with Yami now. It made him wonder what Yami thought about them, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to ask. But it was obvious there had been a shift somewhere along the way because now Yami got into Kaiba's bed himself. Yami was comfortable enough to do so and Kaiba had done nothing to stop it. Why?

Kaiba knew it was abnormal, but somehow it worked for them. Well, mostly because Yami knew nothing about it, but still. It was just easier to ignore it and let things continue as they were.

The thoughts made Kaiba roll onto his side and look at Yami's outline in the darkness. He could never understand why he always woke up hugging Yami without fail. Feeling particularly bold, Kaiba slowly edged closer to Yami and embraced him the same way he always woke up to in the morning. It caused Yami to snuggle back against Kaiba with a sleepy murmur. For a moment Kaiba thought he had done the impossible and woken up Yami, but his breathing stayed even and Kaiba relaxed.

It felt just as good as it did in the morning when sometimes Kaiba would linger if he had the time. Why was such a simple thing so enjoyable? Why did it feel so right? Sleep was always quicker to claim Kaiba when he was with Yami. There was time later to wonder about why holding Yami in such a way brought Kaiba such peace. Even though he knew he should move away from Yami, it seemed futile when Kaiba always ended up in that same position anyway. So Kaiba remained as he was and drifted to sleep.

* * *

><p>When Kaiba awoke, he was slow to come to consciousness. However, he noticed quite quickly that all was not as it should be. There was tension in Yami's body when normally there was none and his breathing was regular instead of deep. <em>Oh shit<em>, Kaiba started to panic in his mind, repeating the phrase over and over again in his mind as if it were somehow helpful. He had finally been caught and Kaiba had no idea what to do.

When Kaiba tried to pull away, Yami held onto his arm and said, "Don't."

Kaiba froze as he had actual confirmation that Yami was really awake and sounded as if he had been for some time. It caused Yami to continue in a reassuring voice, "I'm not mad."

"You should be," Kaiba shot back, but he was still paralyzed with indecision on what to do about the situation.

"Well, I'm not," Yami said with a chuckle. "So relax. If anything, I'm relieved."

That confused Kaiba and he asked, "Wait, what?"

"I was wondering when you were sleeping," Yami explained. "I'm glad to see it's in your own bed during normal hours. Normal for you, anyway."

"You can't be serious," Kaiba protested, still not understanding why Yami was being so calm about it all.

Rolling over to face Kaiba, Yami said, "I'm serious," as he tried to convey it with his eyes. "If I'm upset about anything, it's that I've missed out on waking up like this in the past."

"That—but why would you—I can't—" Kaiba tried to say, but this was the closest to crimson he had been since Yami had gained a body and it was making it exceedingly hard to speak or think.

"I'm saying I liked waking up this way," Yami stated, figuring Kaiba needed to have it broken down to clear statements.

Those words stopped Kaiba from continuing to talk and he stared at Yami in disbelief. "You _did_?" Kaiba incredulously asked. "But I'm violating—"

"You're not violating anything," Yami told him. "In fact, I'm inviting you to continue doing it."

Kaiba could only blink in shock. "But—"

Yami interrupted him to point out, "You were obviously comfortable enough to do it before. What does my knowing change anything? If anything, having my permission should make it more okay, right?"

It was sound logic, but Kaiba still wasn't okay with it. "I shouldn't have—"

"Kaiba," Yami interrupted him again, "I'm telling you it's fine. I will get mad if you stop sleeping in this bed because I'm here."

"This is so wrong," Kaiba protested, knowing that they had crossed some line.

"No, it really isn't," Yami insisted. "Two friends share a bed. So what?"

"But I keep waking up curled up around you," Kaiba protested in embarrassment.

Resisting the urge to sigh, Yami said, "And I told you I liked it. What's the problem? The majority of the time I won't even know it's happening."

As much as he wanted to swear it would never happen again, Kaiba was loathe to give up his comfort—especially when Yami seemed genuinely fine with it. Still, Kaiba hesitated because he knew it wasn't normal for two friends to do. "Why would you like it?" Kaiba finally managed to ask, feeling his cheeks flush further in embarrassment.

"It's comfortable," Yami replied with a shrug. Plus, it was also another reminder that his body was real, but Yami didn't say that.

"But…"

Sensing Kaiba's indecision, Yami said, "Roll over," as an idea formed in his mind.

"What?"

"You heard me. Roll over," Yami repeated.

"I'm not some loser dog," Kaiba growled, refusing to obey such an order.

Holding back another sigh, Yami rephrased, "Would you please turn and face the other wall? I have an idea."

Grumbling about it even while his body automatically complied, Kaiba was just the tiniest bit relieved that he didn't have to look into intense crimson eyes for the moment. Kaiba wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but Yami pressing his body against his wasn't it. Kaiba immediately tensed up as Yami molded his body to the taller teen's and snaked an arm around his waist. "What are you doing?" Kaiba demanded, once again frozen with indecision on how to act because it was so far beyond his realm of experience.

"If you would relax, I'm showing you why I have no objections to this continuing," Yami explained with humor in his voice.

"I have to go to class," Kaiba insisted as he tried to move away from Yami.

It only made Yami tighten his hold as he pointed out, "Class isn't for another four hours. You can spend a few more minutes in bed."

There was nothing Kaiba could say to that so he sighed heavily and remained where he was. Slowly, ever so slowly, Kaiba began to relax and it made Yami smile. But Kaiba still felt weird about it and asked, "What are we doing?"

"I believe it's called spooning," Yami joked, earning him an eyeroll he couldn't see.

"Normal friends don't do this," Kaiba stated, still finding it too strange to enjoy.

"One, neither of us is normal, so what difference does that make?" Yami asked. "And two, you consider us friends?" The very thought made Yami happy and he snuggled even closer to Kaiba.

"I don't know what we are," Kaiba denied, trying not to feel anything as Yami drew even closer to him. The position made him feel at ease just as much as holding Yami did and he didn't know what to do with that information.

"We're just us," Yami answered, his breath ghosting past Kaiba's ear and making him shiver. "Isn't that enough?"

Life would be so much easier if he could just denounce Yami's existence and go back to his solitary nights. But even though that was Kaiba's instinct, he couldn't act on it. As much as it galled Kaiba to admit, he would miss his nightly visits with Yami too much to do so. He knew they'd eventually stop once Yami was officially enrolled in the school and taking classes, but for now Kaiba was okay enjoying his secret guilty pleasure. If that meant occasionally sharing a bed platonically with his rival, was that really so bad? It wasn't like they were doing anything inappropriate, so was it really so bad? Still feeling the need to save face, Kaiba muttered, "You're way comfortable with this whole thing."

"Probably," Yami admitted, "but is that really such a terrible thing?"

Sighing heavily as he relaxed fully into Yami's embrace, Kaiba realized, "I'm not winning this one, am I?"

"Nope," Yami told him with a laugh. "Somehow I get the feeling you're not exactly upset about that, either."

Kaiba quietly harrumphed, but he didn't refute the claim. It's why he was surprised when Yami hid his face against Kaiba's shoulder and mumbled, "Thanks for not kicking me out."

"Even if I tried, you'd just keep coming back," Kaiba said with a snort, having no doubt about that.

"I told you, I like spending time with you," Yami stated. "And not just because I get lonely at night. I have fun when I'm with you."

"I'm not a source of entertainment," Kaiba said with a scowl, still feeling horribly embarrassed by the whole situation.

It earned him a poke in the side that made Kaiba jump. "You know what I meant," Yami told him. "Admit it, you like it when I'm here."

"I admit nothing," Kaiba stubbornly refused.

"But you're not denying it either," Yami gleefully pointed out with a grin.

It caused Kaiba to roll over face Yami, but he was startled once again by how close they were. He was further surprised when Yami reached over and gently caressed his cheek while softly saying, "It's okay, Kaiba."

Kaiba didn't know what Yami was specifically referring to, so he said the only thing he could think of, "You're touching me."

"I am," Yami replied with a hint of mischief in his eyes that made Kaiba's heart quicken. "What are you going to do about it?"

It sounded like a challenge and Kaiba could never turn those down, not when it came to Yami. Just as he was about to say something further, Kaiba's phone rang, causing Yami to withdraw his hand.

Blindly reached behind him and grabbing his phone, Kaiba remembered to answer it in Japanese with an irritable, "What?"

"Seto-sama, your 12.30 conference call has requested to be moved to 1.45," his secretary informed.

"Impossible, I have a test in class then," Kaiba refused. "Tell him it's either the original time or 3.30. Otherwise he can forget it."

"Yes, sir," she dutifully replied. "There is nothing further at this time."

"Good," Kaiba declared before hanging up the phone. "Asshole!"

"Who? Your secretary?" Yami asked, finding it weird that Kaiba would lash out at her for simply doing her job.

Rolling onto his back and irritably running his fingers through his hair, Kaiba slipped back into their shared language as he clarified, "No, this guy keeps on giving me the run around. It's fucking annoying."

"And you haven't blown him off yet why?" Yami wanted to know.

"He's invented a new procedure for plastics that would be very beneficial for my company," Kaiba continued. "I need him to cooperate, but I'm really starting to doubt it's worth all this hassle."

"Ah," Yami said with understanding.

Sighing irritably at the reminder of real life encroaching on his private time, Kaiba sat up with a scowl. "I need to take a shower," Kaiba decided, knowing that's where he did his best thinking.

Recognizing the dismissal, Yami told him, "Okay," as he started to get out of bed.

"What, are you planning on joining me?" Kaiba asked with an arched eyebrow.

Getting a playful look in his eyes that Kaiba knew better than to take seriously, Yami teased, "And if I said yes?"

"As much as I appreciate efficiency," Kaiba told Yami as he also got out of bed, "the answer is no."

Laughing in response, Yami headed toward the door. "I'll see you later, Kaiba," he said with a final wave before leaving.

Shaking his head as he began heading to his bathroom, Kaiba did his best to put it all out of his mind so he could focus on the long day ahead. There wasn't enough time to process what had just happened between him and Yami and what that meant for them going forward in the future.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Because we all knew it had to happen at some point~. Given that Yami lived inside of someone, I figure his concept of personal space is probably a little warped and his reaction to Kaiba's closeness would be a bit atypical as a result.

**NEXT CHAPTER:**

"_Keep it up and you're sleeping on the floor," Kaiba threatened, knowing he'd at least be capable of that; getting Yami down to his room at the end of the hall just wasn't happening._

The next chapter will go up on **Sunday, February 22nd **and it's another fun one. It's the first of many turning points, so please look forward to it! Until then, I eagerly await your thoughts on this week's chapter!


	8. Chapter 08: Still Unaware

**Chapter 08: Still Unaware**

As Kaiba defeated Yami in yet another game of chess, the former pharaoh had to ask, "So is this how you feel every time I defeat you in Duel Monsters?"

"Yeah, probably," Kaiba confirmed, although he wasn't certain of Yami's specifics. Kaiba was just grateful that everything had seemingly returned to normal after the weirdness of the morning. He was still mortified that he had been caught in such a compromising position by Yami and he didn't know what to make of Yami's understanding reaction. It felt too easy somehow and Kaiba had been trained to distrust such things.

"I will defeat you," Yami promised with a grin.

Kaiba began setting up his side of the chessboard for a rematch as he invited, "You are welcome to try."

"Later," Yami decided. "I think I'm going to head to bed."

Kaiba was disappointed until he saw it was after 4AM. "Good night, then," Kaiba said as he began putting away the chess pieces.

"And you're coming with me," Yami impishly decided.

"The hell I am," Kaiba scoffed, still putting away the chess set.

"Oh, but you are," Yami confidently insisted as he stood up and walked over to Kaiba. "You don't have class until later. There's no reason for you to stay up."

"I have work to do," Kaiba said, ignoring the weird flutter inside of him.

"What work?" Yami asked, knowing Kaiba's schedule was free until he had to go to class.

"Stuff," was all Kaiba could think of to say for some reason. It had been a long day and Kaiba actually _was_ kind of tired. Crawling into bed sounded like a good idea, but it had to wait until after Yami was safely asleep. Somehow it was too embarrassing when Yami was awake and aware.

Laughing at the response, Yami took Kaiba by the hand and tugged on it to get him out of the chair. "I know you're tired, so come on. Bed."

"Later," Kaiba said, wondering why he hadn't freed his hand immediately.

"No," Yami refused, "I'm not letting you stay up because of what happened this morning. We are going to bed."

Kaiba still stubbornly refused to give in to Yami's whim, even if going to sleep did sound like an exceedingly tempting idea. "Go to bed and stop worrying about me," Kaiba told him as he finally took back his hand.

"Nope, we're doing this now," Yami insisted as he once again tried to get Kaiba out of his chair. "If you're willing to do this while I'm asleep, you should be able to do it while I'm awake."

It was irritatingly sound logic, but Kaiba continued protesting, "No—"

"Kaiba," Yami said in a warning tone with a look that did weird things to the brunette's heart. "Stop being stubborn about this."

"You're just going to stay up and harass me about this until I do, aren't you?" Kaiba realized with a heavy sigh.

Smirking at the reaction, Yami promised, "Absolutely."

Kaiba wasn't in the mood for such things and he questioned his sanity when he got up and followed Yami to bed instead of just kicking him out of the room. "Why can't you sleep in your own damn room?" Kaiba groused, even as he pulled back the comforter.

"I'd rather spend time with you," Yami told him truthfully.

"Except you're unconscious," Kaiba countered.

Waving it away with, "You know what I mean," Yami got into bed and faced him expectantly.

Unable to believe what he was doing, Kaiba turned off the lights and got into bed, overly aware that he and Yami were face to face. "Stop looking at me," Kaiba ordered, feeling strangely self-conscious.

"I can't even see you," Yami replied with a laugh.

"Then why am I even here?" Kaiba wondered.

"Because you're tired. I'm tired. This is the only bed in the room," Yami reached out and once again caressed his cheek like he had that morning. "I'm just glad you didn't kick me out."

The touch made Kaiba's pulse quicken again, but it was a complete mystery as to why. "I should," Kaiba said, wondering why he didn't seem to have it in him to follow through on the threat. "And you're touching me again."

"I know," Yami replied even as he moved his hand away. "I just wanted to tell you that I appreciate you spending time with me. I know you're busy and you don't get a lot of private time—"

It made Kaiba feel awkward to receive such gratitude and he interrupted Yami, "Stop rambling and go to sleep."

Chuckling at the reaction, Yami said, "Okay," and quieted down so that they could try to sleep.

A few moments passed before Kaiba irritably told him, "I can't fall asleep with you staring at me."

"You can't even see me," Yami said with a laugh.

"You're staring," Kaiba repeated with conviction.

"Then roll over or something," Yami suggested, still grinning at the reaction.

Huffing in annoyance, Kaiba explained, "If I do that, you'll end up like this morning."

"Was it that traumatic to be held?" Yami asked in a teasing tone.

"It was weird," Kaiba insisted.

"It really wasn't," Yami retorted.

"You're still staring," Kaiba complained.

Grinning in the darkness, Yami pointed out, "You're still talking."

"Just shut up and roll over," Kaiba told him, wishing he would comply for once.

"I'm not a dog," Yami said, borrowing Kaiba's line.

"Keep it up and you're sleeping on the floor," Kaiba threatened, knowing he'd at least be capable of that; getting Yami down to his room at the end of the hall just wasn't happening.

"I'd like to see you try," Yami challenged, preemptively grabbing onto the headboard edge.

Not wanting to lose face, Kaiba picked Yami up and edged his way on his knees to the end of the bed. What Kaiba had not counted on was Yami grabbing hold of him and tugging him down with him. Kaiba ended up sprawled awkwardly on top of Yami. He was annoyed that Yami was laughing and braced his hands on the floor on either side of his rival's head. It effectively caged Yami in place and Kaiba's cheeks flushed when he realized what position they were in at the moment. Their bodies were pressed closed together and it reminded Kaiba of when Yami had been so close to him after getting a body. He had never quite been able to forget the arousal he had felt at that time, humiliating as it was.

When Yami said, "Kaiba," it brought to mind to the present. He stared down at Yami, knowing he needed to move and yet was incapable of it. All he could think was that it was strange that some unknown part of Kaiba was urging him to kiss Yami. What the hell was his problem? Since when had Kaiba ever harbored such thoughts? And about his rival no less? "_Kaiba_."

"What?" Kaiba responded, feeling like his throat was suddenly too dry. What the hell was going on with him?

"You're heavy," Yami told him with a laugh, completely oblivious to Kaiba's dilemma.

It broke the moment and Kaiba scrambled off of him, trying to get in control of himself. He surely had just been imaging things.

"Fine, you've made your point," Yami conceded as he got up and back into bed before Kaiba could stop him. "I'll face the other way if it's that much of a problem for you."

Even though Kaiba knew he wasn't going to be getting much sleep after what had just transpired in his mind. He numbly got back into bed so as not to alert Yami that something was amiss. It had to just be a fluke thought Kaiba assured himself. It wasn't like he wanted to be with Yami like that, so it was fine. He could ignore it; no one needed to know about one weird stray thought.

"Good night, Kaiba," Yami told him before yawning, the rush of adrenaline fading and leaving him sleepy.

"Night," Kaiba replied as he tried really hard to dismiss that one disturbing errant thought.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **And so it _really_ begins…

**NEXT CHAPTER:**

"_I," Yami hesitantly started, his voice sounding small, "that is, if you wouldn't mind…"_

The next chapter will be posted on **Sunday, March 1st**, so please look forward to it! Until then, I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this chapter!


	9. Chapter 09: Reassurance

**Chapter 09: Reassurance**

Yami had been sleeping fitfully, although whether it was a nocturnal memory or a nightmare was unimportant. Even though he had grown accustomed to the concept of sleep as the weeks had passed, waking up was still a struggle; sometimes it was so hard to trust the reality he opened his eyes to. Thus, when Yami jolted awake with a loud gasp, only to be surrounded by an impenetrable pitch black, he could feel the first threads of fear start to take hold of him as he quickly surveyed the area with eyes unseeing.

He had spent an eternity in the darkness, broken up only by the occasional flicker of candlelight shadows in the main hall as he wandered from room to room. Trapped inside the Millennium Puzzle, there had only ever been a silence that was interrupted with whispered fragments that would lead him down different paths, always to another memory or more all encompassing darkness, that very existence for which he was named. And as Yami tried to fight against the fear that was beginning to quickly morph into terror, he was overwhelmed by the lack of even the tiniest speck of light, of the faintest trace of sound to ground him in the reality he kept having to try to convince himself that he was a part of now. There were no hints of lights, no sliver of the moon in the sky, no shining starts to be seen. He thought he heard rain faintly on the windowpane, but Yami didn't trust it, nor did he believe in the soft fabric that was clenched tightly in his fists. After all, how many times had he lied to himself? Deluded himself that the real world would be as it should behind that closed door? It wasn't enough, not when he knew that Kaiba was supposed to be there, supposed to be near him.

Yami reached out with shaking fingers, searching for the solid warmth of Kaiba's body, but he felt nothing but empty space and cold sheets; there was no trace of him, no proof that he existed on this side of the former pharaoh's eyes. Trying to calm himself, Yami attempted to call out to Kaiba, but he couldn't get his voice to cooperate with him. He was petrified that if he called out to Kaiba, he would hear nothing but the echo of his own voice off of stone walls, that he would never hear a responding voice. It was the cruelest of jokes, making Yami feel that he had been tricked by the most heartbreaking memory yet and causing him to panic despite his attempts at gaining his composure.

Curling up on himself and hugging his knees to his chest, Yami trembled with only the softest of whimpers to betray him. It felt like the moment was an eternity itself, like a single second could span centuries as he sat there, trying not to shatter in his bitter disappointment. He could feel the tears starting to burn in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall; even if there was no one there to witness his shame, Yami wouldn't allow himself to give in to such a weakness. Yami knew that he just needed to take a moment to collect himself so he could think about it logically, but endless centuries of such an existence were all too quick to blot out a few weeks of physical memory.

Unaware of the passing of time, Yami eventually thought he heard the slightest sound in the distance and his head shot up to look for the source. Of course, he saw nothing but darkness, could hear nothing except that absence of sound, and he was disheartened all the more by it. He had meant to laugh bitterly, but it came out more like a choked sob as he continued to shake with restrained emotions.

Even as he continued to wallow in his personal darkness, Yami once again thought he heard something, this time the softest of footfalls that were muted by the lush carpet. He curled up on himself with another whimper, refusing to look up again and be disappointed. Yami resolved himself to remaining that way until the first glimpse of morning came through the windows or until his aibou appeared and made him realize that the past few weeks had been spent in an illusionary room; either way, it was sheer hell.

Throughout his years of training under Gozaburo, Kaiba had learned early on that night blindness was something that he had to overcome in order to survive. It had helped him avoid being seen when he didn't want to found, had helped him evade being captured on more than one occasion, and gave him an advantage that few others possessed when it came to life and death matters. What Kaiba had never counted on was the benefit of it when it came to a former spirit that was practically cowering like a child huddled from the aftermath of nightmares. He carefully regarded Yami, intentionally making the slightest of noises to gauge the reaction; Kaiba had expected Yami to look up, not try and make himself even smaller. "What the hell is your problem?" Kaiba quietly demanded, causing Yami to jump slightly.

The silence was finally shattered, but Yami still didn't believe that it was real, that Kaiba was actually out there somehow. He forced himself to look up to try and pinpoint the source, but there was nothing there but more darkness, more crushing disappointment. "No, no, no, _no_," Yami whispered repeatedly as he once more buried his face against his knees, clenching his eyes shut, trading one darkness for another.

Yami looked so small and childlike in that moment that Kaiba couldn't help but be reminded of Mokuba in a way. Warily approaching, Kaiba questioned, "Bad dream?"

"Stop it," Yami whimpered, his voice barely audible. He wasn't up to some trickery of the Puzzle, to some game involving Kaiba that Yami had no doubt he would lose at the moment.

"Stop what?" Kaiba asked, completely confused and less than amused. After all, he had better things he could be doing at four in the morning than dealing with this sort of nonsense. Plus, he was being unusually kind and he was miffed to be rebuffed in such a way.

"Please don't do this," Yami all but begged, sounding like the broken spirit he had once been. "Not with him…"

Raising an eyebrow in surprise over the latter statement, Kaiba found himself curious despite the absurdity of it all. "What do you mean?" Kaiba pressed, trying to get an answer of some sort.

"_No_," was the only response Yami had left, which annoyed Kaiba more than just a little.

"Explain yourself," Kaiba ordered, trying to make some sort of progress. "You're not making any sense and I have better things to do than to stick around here and—"

Acting purely on instinct, Yami blindly reached out for the source of the voice, accidentally exclaiming, "No, don't leave me!"

Kaiba was still far enough away from the bed to be out of reach for Yami and he didn't miss the note of sheer terror in the former spirit's desperate voice. Furrowing his eyebrows, both at Yami's display and the answering concern that it raised within himself, Kaiba sighed heavily before stepping forward and hoping he wouldn't come to regret his decision. Capturing Yami's outstretched hand with his own, Kaiba was shocked at how ice cold it was and he shivered from the contact. Kaiba was about to say something derisive in response to the bizarre behavior he was witnessing, but the breath was knocked out of him as Yami practically launched himself at the confused teen. It came as quite a shock to have Yami embracing him tightly as if afraid he would disappear, clinging to Kaiba as he continued to tremble and hide his face against his rival's strong chest for support. "What the hell is going on with you?" Kaiba grumbled, awkwardly standing there and receiving the attention because he didn't know what else to do.

Yami inhaled deeply, burrowing further against Kaiba and hugging him even tighter. Kaiba was warm, so very warm, and Yami didn't realize until that moment just how cold he had been. He could hear the steady beat of Kaiba's heart, could feel the even rhythm of his breathing and it was more reassuring than words could ever hope to be. "I thought—I thought that I was back in the Puzzle and I…I just…it was just so _dark_ and quiet and—but you're here now and—and—" Yami tried to halting explain, his words getting all tangled up in his worked up state.

Unsure of how to handle the situation, Kaiba snidely pointed out, "Of course it's dark. It's _night_."

"But there's no light, there's nothing but more darkness," Yami stubbornly argued, still clinging to Kaiba as if afraid he might lose his only tangible reality. "There aren't even any dorm lights or anything…"

"It's the night of a new moon and the power is still out from the storm earlier," Kaiba logically explained, although he was pretty sure Yami slept through the whole thing.

"Oh," was the only thing that Yami could think of to say, but he didn't relinquish his hold on Kaiba. He was still too shaken, too distrustful, and even though he knew he should be humiliated over the way he was clinging to Kaiba, Yami couldn't make himself let go.

Kaiba was reminded of how Yami had hugged him in a similar manner the day he developed his corporal form and he restrained himself from sighing. Hesitantly raising his hand and placing it on the back of Yami's head, Kaiba gruffly stated, "You're fine." He could comprehend Yami's need for physical confirmation, but that didn't mean that Kaiba was comfortable with it or even understood it.

"Mm," Yami softly agreed, relaxing subtly under the simple touch. He could finally feel himself coming to his senses and he flushed in embarrassment, glad that Kaiba couldn't see.

Kaiba allowed it for a little longer, but it was uncomfortable for him to just stand there and be embraced. "Still testing if I'm real?" Kaiba sarcastically questioned, although he didn't move his hand away.

Curling up on himself, Yami knew that he needed to let go, but he just _couldn't_. It caused him to mumble, "I'm sorry," into Kaiba's chest, but Yami still didn't pull away.

Reaching into his pajama pocket with his free hand, Kaiba pulled out his cellphone and pushed the button on the side to display the time. Yami blinked owlishly at the sudden invasion of light, but it was one more reassurance, one more reason for him to trust that all was as it should be. He looked up at Kaiba then, discerning the outline of his features in the shadowy dimness and find a whole new reason to blush. "Look, be sorry later," Kaiba replied, a hint of his exhaustion making itself known. "It's 4.37 and I'd like to get some sleep before my conference call in a few hours."

Another apology was on Yami's lips, but it disappeared as the phone's display went dark once more. Reluctantly relinquishing his hold of Kaiba, Yami was still uneasy about the ordeal. How much longer would he be plagued by such things? It made him feel horribly weak, pathetically incompetent, and Yami hated it; it was even worse because Kaiba had once against witnessed such an egregious lapse in control.

True to his word, Kaiba walked around the bed and slid under the covers with the intention of sleeping. "Now what's your problem?" Kaiba asked in exasperation as he settled into bed.

Even though Kaiba had proved otherwise, Yami still felt the oppressive fear that he was still trapped inside of the Millennium Puzzle. He knew what he wanted, but it was almost too embarrassing to ask. "I," Yami hesitantly started, his voice sounding small, "that is, if you wouldn't mind…"

"Just say it so I can go to sleep," Kaiba told him.

Laying down and facing away from Kaiba, it somehow made it easier for Yami to request, "Would you hold me the way you do in the mornings?"

"First of all, I just wake up that way, I don't do it intentionally," Kaiba defended himself, still finding it weird. "Secondly, _why_?"

"I just—_please_," was all Yami could say, feeling unbearably childish and hating it.

Sighing heavily, Kaiba debated his options. He knew inevitably that he would wake up in that position anyway, so was it really worth it to deny Yami? It was such a small thing and it really didn't matter to Kaiba. The only embarrassing thing was that Yami was awake for it and nothing could be as bad as the first morning he had been caught in that position. Besides, it bothered Kaiba to see his rival in such a state. It brought out his natural need to protect and Kaiba knew the decision had already been made.

Scooting closer to Yami, Kaiba lined their bodies up and held his still trembling rival close to his chest. "When did I get so indulgent?" Kaiba groused, feeling the need to make some sort of protest even though he really didn't have any. He recognized that he probably should be bothered by how comfortable he had become with Yami in that way, but somehow it just worked for them so it didn't seem worthwhile to be bothered by it. "And why are you so damn cold?"

"I don't know," Yami said with a shrug, trying to force his body to relax. Even though he felt safe in the moment, Yami didn't want to fall asleep again for fear of what he would wake up to. "Thank you, though. I know I'm being…unreasonable."

"Just shut up and go to sleep," Kaiba told him, although his tone sounded more tired than annoyed.

Hesitantly putting his hand over Kaiba's and interlacing their fingers, Yami quietly said, "I just don't want this to stop being real."

Kaiba blamed being tired for allowing such a reaction. "It's real, so stop worrying and go to sleep," Kaiba muttered, starting to feel drowsy since he lay down in such a comfortable position. But he could still feel tension in Yami's body and that was bothering Kaiba for some reason. "Yami, I'm right here, so you don't need to worry about that, okay? You know I would never lie to you."

Kaiba wouldn't lie to him, but the Millennium Puzzle would. However, would it be able to make Kaiba feel so real and solid, so warm to the touch? No, Kaiba was right and Yami was safe in his arms. Finally Yami's body started to lose some of his tension and he allowed himself to relax into the embrace. "I'm sorry," Yami repeated, feeling bad for being so foolish. It was just hard to forget the millennia of torture.

"I told you, be sorry later," Kaiba mumbled, sleep trying to claim him for its own. "Sleep now."

Even though Yami knew he'd most likely be alone in the morning, he would deal with that later. For now it was enough that Kaiba was there holding him. As much as he didn't want to fall asleep again, Yami felt so safe and warm in Kaiba's embrace that he couldn't help eventually drifting off to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I really do think Kaiba's protective streak would come out for those he cares for, even if it is in minor ways.

**NEXT CHAPTER:**

_Grinning as he spun the water bottle in his hands, Yami teased, "Don't worry, I won't call your bluff."_

The next chapter will be posted on **Sunday, March 8****th**, so please look forward to it! Until then, please let me know your thoughts on this chapter.


	10. Chapter 10: Different Ways of Saying

**Chapter 10: Different Ways of Saying**

When Yami awoke, he was relieved to see that it was daytime. He may have been alone, but it was easier for Yami to convince himself that things were real when it was light.

The rustling of newspaper pages turning drew Yami's attention and it was enough to get him out of bed to investigate. He was shocked to see Kaiba siting at his table reading and Yami couldn't stop himself from softly saying, "You're still here," as relief washed over him.

"It _is_ my room," Kaiba dryly pointed out as he continued reading over the paper.

"But you have class," Yami said without understanding. Had Kaiba really stayed behind so he wouldn't wake up alone?

"I did have class," Kaiba corrected him. "It's almost four now."

Yami had no clue what time it was and could only say, "Oh." He still found it odd that Kaiba was back in the room with him so early. "What about Host Club?"

"They weren't my priority," Kaiba said with a shrug.

_Does that mean I am?_ Yami wondered, feeling touched. Instead of commenting on that point, Yami chose to say, "I'm sure Tamaki was upset."

"Like I care what that idiot thinks?" Kaiba scoffed.

"Thank you," Yami softly said, even though he knew Kaiba wouldn't accept it.

Waving it away with a, "Whatever," Kaiba sat down his paper. "Go get dressed."

"What?" Yami asked in confusion.

"Go get dressed," Kaiba repeated. "We're going out and I refuse to be seen with you in your pajamas outside."

Yami was still confused and he questioned, "Why?"

"Because you don't wear pajamas—"

Interrupting Kaiba, Yami clarified with a laugh, "No, why are we going out?"

"Because you're never going to build up your strength by staying inside all the time."

Shocked that Kaiba was volunteering to go with him, Yami agreed, "Okay," and left Kaiba's room to go change. He quickly returned to Kaiba's room and they both headed downstairs and outside into the beautiful fresh air. Yami breathed in deeply before commenting, "It's so nice out."

"Yeah," Kaiba agreed as they started walking in a random direction of the enormous campus. He was careful to stay close to Yami in case he needed assistance, but for now it was an enjoyable walk as they chatted about everything from class to dueling.

After ten minutes Yami felt fatigue set in, but he persevered, determined not to give in to it. However, after another five minutes, Yami felt as if his legs were going to give out on him and he had to reach out and take hold of Kaiba's arm to steady himself.

Kaiba frowned when he felt how badly Yami was shaking and he led them over to a nearby bench by an elaborate fountain. Yami all but collapsed onto the bench and Kaiba sat down next to him. "You really should have said something sooner," Kaiba told him, miffed with himself for not noticing and for pushing Yami too hard.

Burying his face in his hands as he rested his elbow on his knees, Yami muttered, "I hate this."

Hesitantly reaching out, Kaiba lightly put his hand on Yami's shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly as he said, "I know." He didn't understand why the longer he was around Yami, the more Kaiba used mannerisms previously reserved only for Mokuba. "You'll get there."

"Why am I so weak?" Yami bemoaned as he finally looked up and started at the vast campus before them, wondering how he was ever going to find the strength to make it back to the dorm. It just seemed like such an insurmountable task.

"It's just your body that's weak, not you," Kaiba corrected him as he moved his hand away, too self-conscious to let it remain.

Part of Yami mourned the loss of contact, but he said nothing of it. Instead he sighed, "I guess you're right."

"I know I'm right," Kaiba returned.

Leaning back on the bench, Yami had to smile at that, although it quickly faded. "I just want to get better so I can be with you and aibou in class," Yami explained, frustrated by always being left behind in the dorm. "It's weird wearing this uniform when I'm not actually a student."

"A week ago you could barely make it out of the dorm," Kaiba reminded Yami. "You are making progress."

"Not fast enough," Yami complained with a bitter sigh, hating that he still felt so shaky. "I wanted to be strong enough to go home this weekend with aibou, but that's not going to happen."

"Maybe next weekend," Kaiba stated, surprised by his own optimistic response.

Yami smiled up at Kaiba for the comment, but it slid into a sadder expression as he acknowledged the reality, "I'm never going to make it to the train station, let alone the whole way home."

"Why are you taking the train?" Kaiba asked in a slightly puzzled tone.

Laughing at Kaiba's confusion, Yami replied, "How else are we supposed to get home? Teleport?"

"No," Kaiba said, his tone reflecting how silly he thought the last comment was. "I'll be going back to visit my brother next weekend, so you two can join me in my limo."

Yami stared at Kaiba in disbelief as he asked, "_Really_? Me _and_ aibou?"

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Kaiba asked with a snort. "You can share my bed, but not my limo?"

"Yeah, but aibou—" Yami started to say.

Interrupting Yami, Kaiba scoffed, "He'll never be welcome in my bed, but I have no problem giving you guys a ride to the same place I'm going."

The comment made Yami laugh and he sounded grateful as he said, "I just—thanks. It would be very much appreciated."

Uncomfortable with the gratitude, Kaiba gruffly asked, "Do you think you can make it back to the dorm?"

"I'll try," Yami promised as he stood up on unsteady feet. "We may have to take a few breaks, though."

"That's fine," Kaiba told him, having no plans until much later that night.

"You know, this is really the first time we've ever hung out in the daytime," Yami pointed out as they started heading back to the dorm.

"You're usually with Yuugi," Kaiba said, not having any other particular reason for it.

"This is nice, too," Yami decided, enjoying his chat with Kaiba as they walked together.

It took almost an hour with breaks to make it back to the dorm and Yami collapsed onto Kaiba's couch when they got back to his room. Kaiba didn't like seeing how heavily Yami was breathing from the effort and he went over to the fridge and got two bottles of water.

Yami accepted one and held it to his forehead to help him cool off before drinking from it. "You know, it's weird," Yami commented when Kaiba sat across from him. "I never would have thought you'd be so good at taking care of people."

Scoffing at that, Kaiba tried to wave it away, but without success. "It's because you're always taking care of Mokuba, isn't it?" Yami realized.

Shrugging, Kaiba said, "Yeah, probably."

"He's lucky to have an older brother like you," Yami said with a kind smile.

It made Kaiba look away for a moment, uncomfortable with the conversation. "Most people would disagree with you," Kaiba said, knowing that most people pitied Mokuba for being stuck with such a horrible person for a brother.

"Most people don't know you like I do," Yami pointed out with a laugh. "I know better."

"You just think you do," Kaiba countered as he toyed with the water bottle in his hand.

"No, I can say that with complete confidence," Yami disagreed with a grin.

"You can say whatever you want, but that doesn't make it true," Kaiba pointed out, although he knew Yami was right. Yami was learning who the real Kaiba was and the brunette didn't know what to make of that.

"Except it is true," Yami persisted, still sounding deeply amused.

"Whatever," Kaiba dismissively said, trying to waive it away in the hopes of moving onto a less embarrassing topic.

When Kaiba didn't say anything further, Yami stretched and felt several of his bones crack. "Although you know what sounds really good right now? A shower."

"Far be it for me to get between you and a shower," Kaiba said, causing Yami to laugh again.

"I want to rest a little bit longer before I go," Yami told him, knowing as much as he wanted and needed one, he wasn't quite capable of it yet.

"That's fine," Kaiba conceded, taking a sip of his water.

The acceptance was a little too easy and Yami looked hard at Kaiba, trying to figure out the mystery. "Wait, you're actually worried about me," Yami realized, finding it surprising.

"I'm not _worried_," Kaiba denied, although that wasn't entirely true. It was just disconcerting to see his powerful rival in such a state and knowing there was nothing he could do to fix it. "I just…"

When Kaiba trailed off, Yami prompted, "You just what?"

"I just want you to be okay," Kaiba mumbled, looking away again in embarrassment. Kaiba didn't know which was worse: feeling the sentiment or openly admitting it.

The reaction was endearing and Yami couldn't stop himself from saying, "I would hug you if I wasn't so sure you'd hit me for it," with a laugh.

"I wouldn't recommend finding out," Kaiba warned, even though he knew he'd never be capable of physically harming Yami.

Grinning as he spun the water bottle in his hands, Yami teased, "Don't worry, I won't call your bluff."

Before Kaiba could respond, a knock on the door interrupted them. Kaiba got up to answer the door and was less than surprised to see Yuugi standing before him. Stepping aside so he could enter, Kaiba shut the door behind them and returned to his seat.

"Hey, aibou!" Yami warmly greeted him, noticing his mood a little too late. "What's up?"

"I'm assuming you just asked why I'm here," Yuugi said with a frown, still feeling sore that Yami and Kaiba had a secret language that only they understood.

"Sorry," Yami sheepishly apologized in Japanese, not having realized he forgot to switch languages. It was just so much easier being able to talk in his own with Kaiba and he liked the closeness it brought them.

"It's almost six," Yuugi informed him, causing Yami to look surprised.

"Really?" Yami asked as he looked at Kaiba, not realizing so much time had passed. Kaiba showed Yami his watch as proof and the former pharaoh again apologized. "I'm sorry, aibout. I totally lost track of time."

Shrugging it off, Yuugi replied, "It's okay."

It clearly wasn't and Yami knew it was time to go, even though his whole body ached from his earlier efforts. "I'll see you later, Kaiba," Yami said as he got up and forced himself to leave.

All Kaiba said was, "Mm," knowing that Yami would be back in a few hours. Although maybe not, given Yuugi's mood. Kaiba found himself hoping Yami would come back because he was itching for a duel.

Once the door to Kaiba's room has been shut, Yami once again said, "Aibou, I'm really sorry."

"It's fine," Yuugi told him, but his tone sounded clipped as they entered his room.

"Obviously it isn't," Yami replied with a frown.

"It's just, you spend all night with him. Do you really have to spend all day with him, too?" Yuugi asked, feeling terrible for even thinking such a thing. "I just feel like I never get to see you and whenever I do, all you talk about is him."

"I didn't realize," Yami slowly said, feeling bad about making Yuugi feel that way. "The thing is, last night—"

Holding up his hand to stop Yami, Yuugi told him, "It's okay. I guess I'm just feeling a little upset that you'd rather be with him."

"Aibou, that's not true," Yami insisted as he hugged Yuugi tightly. "You will always be my priority."

It was reassuring to hear, but Yuugi wasn't sure if that was entirely true anymore. However, he was more worried about Yami in that moment. "Why are you shaking?" Yuugi asked in a worried tone.

"We went for a walk and I pushed myself too hard," Yami explained as he took a step back from Yuugi.

Leading Yami over to the sofa, they both sat down on it. "He went for a walk with you?" Yuugi asked in surprise.

"It was actually his idea," Yami replied. "I think he was worried about me because of last night. I had a nightmare I was back in the Millennium Puzzle and I just really didn't want to be alone."

"That really doesn't sound like Kaiba-kun," Yuugi said, unable to picture Kaiba worried about anyone other than Mokuba. "How would he even know you had a nightmare anyway?"

Yami had never told Yuugi about his sleeping arrangement in Kaiba's room, mostly because he got the feeling his aibou would react badly to the information. He always woke up and went into his own room with a few hours to spare before Yuugi came back and they met up for dinner. Choosing his words carefully, Yami replied, "I fell asleep again while I was there and he saw it."

"I still can't see him caring about it," Yuugi said as he shook his head.

"He's different when he's alone," Yami insisted. "He ever volunteered to have one of his limos take all of us home next weekend."

"That would be so much nicer than having to take the train," Yuugi commented, surprised and grateful that Kaiba was willing to do such a thing.

Rather than defending Kaiba further, Yami switched topics. "I didn't mean to slight you," Yami apologized, still feeling bad about it.

"I'm probably just being silly," Yuugi said with a sardonic smile.

"No, I was being inconsiderate," Yami replied, not wanting Yuugi to blame himself. "And now I feel even worse because I can't go to dinner with you."

"I'll bring it back and we can eat it here together," Yuugi suggested, not wanting Yami to feel bad either.

"You would think with as many amenities as they have here, room service would be one of them," Yami joked, relieved that Yuugi's mood seemed to be lifting.

Laughing at that, Yuugi replied, "I know, right? Maybe we should recommend it."

"Sorry to make you go by yourself," Yami said, hating that he had caused that to happen. He looked forward to his walks with Yuugi every day to and from the dining hall. Yami loved getting to hear how Yuugi's day was and see how well he was doing at the new school.

"I think we both probably need to stop apologizing," Yuugi said with a laugh. "I'll be back soon."

"I'll take a shower and change in the meantime," Yami decided, heading back to his room when Yuugi left to get dinner.

Once alone in his room, Yami frowned as he got ready for his shower. Yami truly hadn't meant to exclude Yuugi, but neither would he give up his time with Kaiba. He knew once he was enrolled in classes, his late night visits would have to stop, so Yami coveted the time he had. Yami just really enjoyed spending time with Kaiba and even now he was looking forward to seeing Kaiba later that night after Yuugi went to sleep.

Getting into the shower, Yami found himself mulling over the end of his conversation with Kaiba before they had been interrupted. He had been so surprised by Kaiba's admission and Yami regretted that they hadn't been able to continue the conversation. Yami wasn't really sure what else Kaiba would have said, but he still couldn't help but wish that Yuugi had come back just a little bit later so he could have found out what else Kaiba was willing to confess.

"…:::…"

**A/N: **Hey, they finally left the room and saw daylight! Progress~.

**NEXT CHAPTER:**

"_When you say shit like that, I'm reminded of the fact that you're a legitimate member of the friendship brigade," Kaiba muttered as he ran his fingers through his hair in agitation. _

The next chapter will go up on **Sunday, March 15****th**, but until then I look forward to your reviews! Unfortunately, I can't answer last week's replies today, but I will try to get to it this week. Life got in the way again, but at least I didn't miss the update!


	11. Chapter 11: Insights

**Chapter 11: Insights**

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Yuugi worriedly asked as he started getting ready for bed.

"I'll be fine, aibou," Yami reassured him with a smile. "It's just one weekend by myself."

Frowning, Yuugi said, "I just don't feel right about leaving you here alone." He had spent the past few weekends at school with Yami, but he really wanted to go home and see his friends and grandfather.

"Go be with your friends," Yami urged him, not wanting Yuugi to stay behind just to babysit him. "I promise I'll be fine."

"And you're not just saying that?" Yuugi questioned, still troubled.

Yes, Yami was a little sad about being left behind, but he knew it was important for Yuugi to be with his friends, too. It would suck that Kaiba was also going back to Domino City to visit his brother, but Yami was determined not to let it get to him. "I was alone for centuries, aibou. One weekend isn't going to break me," Yami reasoned with him.

"I just feel bad," Yuugi told him, still feeling guilty.

"And I'm telling you not to," Yami said. "Now go to bed and get some sleep. You've got a long day ahead of you tomorrow."

"I take it you're going to Kaiba-kun's room now?" Yuugi asked, a hint of displeasure coming into his tone. Yuugi just didn't understand why the two of them were spending so much time together or why that fact rubbed him the wrong way. He tried to be supportive, but it was hard when he felt left out sometimes.

"Is it a problem?" Yami asked, picking up on the tone.

"No," Yuugi denied, "but surely Kaiba-kun has other things he should be doing."

Watching as Yuugi got into bed, Yami told him, "I don't interfere with his work or anything."

"I guess I don't understand why you're always over there," Yuugi finally said as he arranged his sheets and got into a comfortable position. "And why he lets you stay so much. It's really not like Kaiba-kun."

"I told you, it's because we're friends," Yami insisted, unsure as to why that was so hard for Yuugi to understand.

"I consider Kaiba-kun my friend and he would never let me stay with him that long," Yuugi argued.

Shrugging at that, Yami said, "All I know is that if he didn't want me there, he would tell me."

"That's true," Yuugi conceded, knowing that Kaiba wasn't one to just put up with something if it bothered him. "Just be sure you don't overstay your welcome."

"I'll be careful," Yami promised, although the commented touched on one of his insecurities. What would he do if Kaiba got tired of him hanging around all the time? Yami liked what they had together and he was afraid of losing that closeness that had started to develop. He knew they were a bit strange for platonically sharing the same bed together, but somehow it worked for them.

Part of Yami was still shocked that Kaiba allowed such liberties, but he was deeply grateful. Sometimes Yami still struggled with the loss of closeness he had shared by being with his aibou when he was still in the Millennium Puzzle, but somehow being able to be with Kaiba in such a way lessened that pain. But more than that, it made Yami feel safe and real, made him feel warm and wanted on the rare occasion he managed to wake up to find Kaiba still curled around him. He suspected that Kaiba found some solace in it as well to allow such a thing, but there was no way he would ever admit to such a thing.

Pulling himself from his thoughts, Yami said, "But you should get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

"Good night," Yuugi said, waiting until Yami had shut off the lights and left to close his eyes. He still felt unsettled, but it could wait until later to be sorted out with Yami.

When Yami left Yuugi's room, he almost felt as if he should go to his own room for once. What if he really was spending too much time over at Kaiba's? However, Yami was still drawn to Kaiba's room; he couldn't make himself stay away. Kaiba no longer locked his door at that time and Yami let himself into the room.

Yami wasn't surprised to see Kaiba reading in his chair and he approached him and sat on the couch. Kaiba immediately took notice of Yami's mood and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Looking down at his hands, Yami fidgeted a moment before quietly asking, "Am I a nuisance?"

Marking his place and setting his book on the table, Kaiba questioned, "What brought this on?"

"I was talking to aibou just now," Yami explained. "He thinks I'm spending too much time with you and you're going to get sick of me."

As much as Kaiba wanted to say, "I will if you keep acting like this," Yami looked so fragile in that moment that he couldn't bring himself to be so cruel. Instead he found himself saying, "If I didn't want you here, you wouldn't be here."

It caused Yami to look up at Kaiba with hopeful eyes that moved the brunette despite himself. "I figured as much," Yami replied, but it still felt good to hear. "I guess I get worried sometimes that you'll send me away or something. I like being here with you like this."

Rather than admitting that he shared the latter sentiment, Kaiba pointed out, "You know it's going to have to stop once you enroll in school. You can't keep these hours and do well in class."

"You seem to manage just fine," Yami said.

"I've had years of practice," Kaiba countered, "and you need way more sleep than I do."

"We'll see what happens," Yami said with a grin, starting to recover his mood.

Waving it away, Kaiba asked, "Do you feel up to a game of chess before my call at one?"

Brightening up considerably, Yami teased, "Do you need a win that badly?"

"I could use a victory," Kaiba groused and was surprised he had done so. He wasn't used to talking business with anyone outside of work, but somehow he found himself confiding in Yami. Why was that?

"That plastics guy again?" Yami asked as they began setting up the chessboard.

"No, although he is still a pain in the ass," Kaiba complained. "My American division is apparently being run by incompetent idiots. They're not making their numbers and can't figure out why. If it keeps up, I'm going to have to go over there and clean house. I may just do that anyway."

"That bad, huh?" Yami asked with sympathy. It surprised him that Kaiba was opening up so much about his work life; normally he didn't say anything about it.

"I'll feel better once Mokuba takes over," Kaiba stated as he made the first move to start the game. "But that's years away, obviously."

"I can't imagine the two of you living that far apart," Yami commented as he began to play. "I'm honestly amazed that you're here and he's not."

"He needs to learn who Mokuba is away from my influence," Kaiba explained, although why was beyond him. "If not now, he'll always be dependent on me and I want a better life for him than that. This just seemed like a good opportunity for that."

It was thoughtful and made a kind of sense to Yami, but he said, "Still, it must be hard to be away from him," as they continued playing.

"It is," Kaiba acknowledged, "but if Mokuba is ever going to take over the American division, I need to learn how to be away from, too."

"Such a good big brother," Yami told him, even as he took one of Kaiba's pawns.

"He probably doesn't think so," Kaiba replied with a shrug as he captured Yami's rook. "I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm just here for the business connections."

"You didn't explain any of that to him?" Yami asked in surprise.

"It sounds too condescending," Kaiba answered with another shrug. "He's a smart kid, he'll figure it out."

Pausing as he debated the board, Yami suggested, "You should talk to him about it."

Kaiba merely shrugged in response as he waited for Yami to make his play. Yami finally moved his bishop and said, "You must really be looking forward to seeing him this weekend."

"I'm not going home this weekend," Kaiba told Yami and he didn't miss the way it caused the former spirit to perk up considerably.

"You're not?" Yami asked in a hopeful tone. "Why not?"

"The last few weekends he's felt obligated to spend all of his time with me. I want him to be with his friends this weekend," Kaiba answered.

"You know he doesn't feel obligated to spend time with you," Yami pointed out to him. "He genuinely wants to be around you."

"Yes, but he also wants to be with his friends," Kaiba countered. "I'm just making the decision easier on him."

Looking at Kaiba across the board, Yami asked, "Does it make me a bad person that I'm glad you're staying here this weekend?"

"Yes," Kaiba replied in a deadpan voice that made Yami laugh.

"You're only saying that because I've almost got you beat," Yami retorted, not taking the response seriously.

"Hn, you're a long ways from victory," Kaiba scoffed as he captured Yami's bishop.

They continued bantering over the game, but just like always, Kaiba won in the end. As much as he wanted to celebrate, his conference call was just minutes away. Kaiba got up and left to go into his study, leaving Yami alone in the living room. He cleaned up the chess set and put it away before returning to the couch and picking up Kaiba's abandoned book. Opening to the beginning, Yami tried to read it, but it was painfully boring and it was still hard for him to read kanji at times.

Still, he kept at it for lack of anything else to do. It was hard not to be distracted by Kaiba speaking English down the hall. Yami didn't know why he found it so nice to listen to, but he wished he could understand more. Yuugi had always struggled with English and as a result, Yami didn't understand much of it himself. It made him a little nervous to enroll in the already because he wanted to do well, but he knew his aibou struggled at times and it made Yami worry for himself. Without being able to access Yuugi's mind anymore, Yami had to do it all by memory.

Three hours had passed before Kaiba returned and by that point Yami was thoroughly engrossed in the book. Kaiba returned to the living room, surprised to see Yami still awake and reading. It lessened his agitation somehow, but Kaiba was still frustrated by his call.

"You should get used to reading stuff like that," Kaiba told him as he sat down in his chair once more. "That one's for school."

Putting the book down, Yami commented, "It was a horrible start, but I actually began to like it at some point."

Having had a similar experience, Kaiba nodded in understanding. He got distracted when Yami stretched and revealed his midriff, but Kaiba quickly got back in control of his senses. There was nothing to be gained from remembering what that bare skin felt like again his.

Kaiba's attention quickly returned back to where it needed to be when Yami asked, "How was the call?"

"Horrible," Kaiba complained. "I just don't understand what the hell they're doing over there. They're way behind on their numbers, they're going to miss their projections, and I swear I'm going to fire the whole damn division when I get over there. I don't care how bad it looks. I'll just call it corporate restructuring or something. Fucking idiots, all of them!"

Debating whether or not it was smart to ask, Yami finally questioned, "If they're all so terrible, why were they hired?"

Scowling at the very valid point, Kaiba explained, "This has only been within the last few months. It's like they all collectively decided to stop giving a shit."

"There has to be somebody competent," Yami reasoned, causing Kaiba to glare at him.

"Fine, Evans is decent, but they won't promote him into a position where he can do anything about the problem," Kaiba conceded, knowing he was being a bit melodramatic over the situation. "Fuck it, I'll find a way to promote him and see if he can straighten it out before I get there."

"See, there's always a solution," Yami told him.

"When you say shit like that, I'm reminded of the fact that you're a legitimate member of the friendship brigade," Kaiba muttered as he ran his fingers through his hair in agitation. "Always such a fucking optimist."

"I balance out your pessimism," Yami said with a laugh, not taking offense to the comment. "Come on, you look tired. Let's go to bed."

"I'm too irritated to sleep," Kaiba told him, still amped up from the call. "I'm going to take a shower. You should get some rest, though."

Pouting a bit, Yami said, "Fine," and got into bed as Kaiba locked himself in the bathroom to shower after he got his clothes to change into afterward. Oddly, sleep eluded Yami because he couldn't stop thinking about Kaiba's problem. Then a stray image of Kaiba in the shower would come along and derail his thought. He couldn't forget how Kaiba had looked after his shower when Yami had first awoke and made contact with him. The sensory overload had been intense and Yami wondered if the same thing would happen now. Sometimes he had the urge to touch Kaiba, to feel him, but Yami refrained from acting because somehow he didn't think Kaiba would appreciate it.

Meanwhile, Kaiba was trying to wash away his irritation and get into a calmer state of mind. As the stress began to leave his body, it left behind a bone weary exhaustion that had him hurrying to finish. Crawling into bed sounded like a damn fine idea and Kaiba quickly finished the rest of his shower to do so.

After Kaiba was out of the shower and dressed, he returned to the bedroom and got into bed, careful not to disturb Yami even though he was a deep sleeper. Rolling onto his back with a heavy sigh, Kaiba stared up into the darkness and tried to relax. He was startled when Yami softly asked, "The shower didn't help?"

"What are you still doing awake?" Kaiba wondered, shocked by that fact. "Shouldn't that book have made you pass out?"

Yami rolled over to face Kaiba and edged a little closer to him. He could feel the heat radiating off of him from his shower and Yami moved closer still. "I was worried about you," Yami replied as he wondered how bold he could get away with being.

"That's stupid," Kaiba scoffed, but somehow he wasn't surprised. "And what are you doing?"

"I'm really cold and you're very warm," Yami explained before he curled up next to Kaiba and rested his head on the brunette's shoulder. When Kaiba didn't move, Yami draped his arm across his chest and snuggled closer with a contented sigh.

"Why are your feet always so damn cold?" Kaiba demanded. "And what do you think you're doing?"

"I don't know," Yami replied, figuring it answered both question. "But this feels really nice."

It actually did feel kind of nice; there was something oddly reassuring about the position. Plus, Kaiba was honestly too exhausted to fight about it, especially over something so meaningless. Besides, what was one more weird thing for them to do? Was it really so different from being curled around Yami? Sighing heavily again, Kaiba hesitantly wrapped his arm around Yami because he didn't know what else to do with it. "This is so weird," Kaiba muttered, feeling the need to save face.

"No, it's not," Yami mumbled sleepily, letting Kaiba know it wouldn't be long before he fell asleep. "You like it."

"Stop talking nonsense," Kaiba told him, accidentally ruffling Yami's hair before he realized what he had done.

Yami chuckled at that and Kaiba moved his hand back down to his rival's waist as subtly as he could. "It's not funny," Kaiba growled, annoyed with himself. He didn't understand why he kept slipping up and doing things like that, but it really had to stop.

"You like me," Yami murmured, nuzzling Kaiba and sending a shiver through the taller teen.

"I like you more when you're asleep," Kaiba shot back in embarrassment. It was only after the fact that he realized he probably should have outright denied the claim. Then again, he wasn't entirely sure he could do so believably anymore. However, those were thoughts best left alone so Kaiba pushed them aside as unimportant.

"Yeah, because then you can spoon me without feeling bad," Yami teased, but his voice was getting fainter.

"Just shut up and go to sleep," Kaiba told him in annoyance, causing Yami to chuckle softly before becoming quiet. Only once Yami's breathing evened out did Kaiba fully relax. What was it about being so close to his rival that made Kaiba feel so good and at ease? He felt the remaining residual stress leave his body and Kaiba figured it was something he could think about later when he was more capable of it. For now it was enough that it felt right somehow.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** And here we see Yami chipping away at that resistance little by little without even knowing it…

**NEXT CHAPTER:**

_Kaiba didn't know much about being friends, but he knew that thinking about them while masturbating in the shower was definitely crossing a line. _

Ahahahaha, poor Kaiba. It's about to get a lot more complicated in his head…The next update will go up on **Sunday, March 22nd **and it's the start of moving toward _finally_ earning that M rating.


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